KING  COAL 

A  Novel  of  the 
Colorado  Coal  Country 


By  UPTON  SINCLAIR 


"King  Goal"  made  a  tremendous  sen- 
sation in  Great  Britain,  The  London 
"Nation"  described  it  as  "a  prosecution 
conducted  with  fore  ,  skill,  feeling  and 
eloquence*  »  *  »  *  A  powerful  and  sombre 
record  of  greed."  The  London  "Times" 
called  it  "a  terrible  indictment."  The 
"Daily  Express"  said, "American  fietlonists 
have  a  gift  denied  to  their  English  brothers 
of  turning  the  business  of  life  into  the  stuff 
of  a  novel.  A  clever  American  writer 
can  make  the  operations  of  a  trust  as  fas- 
cinating as  a  romance  of  the  High  Toby," 


sssssrsszss 


KING  COAL 


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UPTON  SINCLAIR,  Pasadena,  California 


KING  COAL 

A  NOVEL 


,     BY 


UPTON  SINCLAIR 


WITH    AN    INTRODUCTION    BY 

DR.   GEORG   BRANDES 


PUBLISHED  BY 
UPTON  SINCLAIR  // 
1921 


COPYEIGHT    1917 

BY  UPTON  SINCLAIR 


COPYRIGHT  1917 

BY--MISHA  APPELBAUM 


COPYKIGHT    1917 

BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Set   up   and  electrotyped.      Published   September,    1917. 
Reprinted    September,    twice,    1917.      Reprinted    March,    1921 


3  I  -2  ' 
Bancroft 


TO 
MARY  CRAIG  KIMBROUGH 

To  whose  persistence  in  the  perilous  task  of 
tearing  her  husband's  manuscript  to  pieces, 
the  reader  is  indebted  for  the  absence 
of  most  of  the  faults  from  this  book 


CONTENTS 

BOOK  ONE 

PAGE 

THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL .        1 

BOOK  TWO 
THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL 91 

BOOK  THKEE 
THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL  ......   203 

BOOK  FOUE 
THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  ,  ,   285 


INTRODUCTION 

UPTON  SINCLAIR  is  one  of  the  not  too  many  writers  who 
have  consecrated  their  lives  to  the  agitation  for  social  jus- 
tice, and  who  have  also  enrolled  their  art  in  the  service  of  a 
set  purpose.  A  great  and  non-temporizing  enthusiast,  he 
never  flinched  from  making  sacrifices.  Now  and  then  he 
attained  great  material  successes  as  a  writer,  but  invariably 
he  invested  and  lost  his  earnings  in  enterprises  by  which  he 
had  hoped  to  ward  off  injustice  and  to  further  human  hap- 
piness. Though  disappointed  time  after  time,  he  never 
lost  faith  nor  courage  to  start  again. 

As  a  convinced  socialist  and  eager  advocate  of  unpopular 
doctrines,  as  an  exposer  of  social  conditions  that  would 
otherwise  be  screened  away  from  the  public  eye,  the  most 
influential  journals  of  his  country  were  as  a  rule  arraigned 
against  him.  Though  always  a  poor  man,  though  never 
willing  to  grant  to  publishers  the  concessions  essential  for 
many  editions  and  general  popularity,  he  was  maliciously 
represented  to  be  a  carpet  knight  of  radicalism  and  a  socialist 
millionaire.  He  has  several  times  been  obliged  to  change  his 
publisher,  which  goes  to  prove  that  he  is  no  seeker  of  ma,- 
terial  gain. 

Upton  Sinclair  is  one  of  the  writers  of  the  present  time 
most  deserving  of  a  sympathetic  interest.  He  shows  his 
patriotism  as  an  American,  not  by  joining  in  hymns  to  the 
very  conditional  kind  of  liberty  peculiar  to  the  United  States, 
but  by  agitating  for  infusing  it  with  the'elixir  of  real  liberty, 
the  liberty  of  humanity.  He  does  not  limit  himself  to  a  dis- 
passionate and  entertaining  description  of  things  as  they  are. 
But  in  his  appeals  to  the  honour  and  good-fellowship  of  his 

ix 


x  INTRODUCTION 

compatriots,  he  opens  their  eyes  to  the  appalling  conditions 
under  which  wage-earning  slaves  are  living  by  the  hundreds 
of  thousands.  His  object  is  to  better  these  unnatural  -con- 
ditions, to  obtain  for  the  very  poorest  a  glimpse  of  light  and 
happiness,  to  make  even  them  realise  the  sensation  of  cosy 
well-being  and  the  comfort  of  knowing  that  justice  is  to  be 
found  also  for  them. 

This  time  Upton  Sinclair  has  absorbed  himself  in  the  study 
of  the  miner's  life  in  the  lonesome  pits  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  his  sensitive  and  enthusiastic  mind  has  brought  to 
the  world  an  American  parallel  to  GERMINAL,  Emile  Zola's 
technical  masterpiece. 

.The  conditions  described  in  the  two  boo}vs  are,  however, 
essentially  different.  While  Zola's  working-men  are  all 
natives  of  France,  one  meets  in  Sinclair's  book  a  motley 
variety  of  European  emigrants,  speaking  a  Babel  of  languages 
and  therefore  debarred  from  forming  some  sort  of  association 
to  protect  themselves  against  being  exploited  by  the  anony- 
mous limited  Company.  Notwithstanding  this  natural  bar 
Against  united  action  on  the  part  of  the  wage-earning  slaves, 
the  Company  feels  far  from  at  ease  and  jealously  guards  its 
interests  against  any  attempt  of  organising  the  men. 

A  young  American  of  the  upper  class,  with  great  sympathy 
for  the  downtrodden  and  an  honest  desire  to  get  a  first-hand 
knowledge  of  their  conditions  in  order  to  help  them,  decides 
to  take  employment  in  a  mine  under  a  fictitious  name  and 
dressed  like  a  working-man.  His1  unusual  way  of  r  trying  to 
obtain  work  arouses  suspicion.  He  is  believed  to  be  a  pro- 
fessional strike-leader  sent  out  to  organise  the  miners  against 
their  ""exploiters,  and  he  is  not  only  refused  work,  but  thrashed 
mercilessly.  When  finally  he  succeeds  in  getting  inside,  he 
discovers  with  gro\ying  indignation  the  shameless  and  in- 
human way  in  which  those  who  unearth  the  black  coal  are 
being  exploited. 

These  are  the  fundamental  ideas  of  the  book,  but  they 
give  but  a  faint  notion  of  the  author Ypoetic  attitude.  Most 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

beautifully  is  this  shown  in  Hal's  relation"  to  a  young  Irish 
girl,  Red  Mary.  She  is  poor,  and  her  daily  life  harsh  and 
joyless,  but  nevertheless  her  wonderful  grace  is  one  of  the 
outstanding 'features  of  the  book.  The  first  impression  of 
Mary  is  that  of  a  Celtic  Madonna  with  a  tender  heart  for 
little  children.  She  develops  into  a  Valkiire  of  the  working- 
class,  always  ready  to  fight  for  the  worker's  right. 

The  last  chapters  of  the  book  give  a  description  of  the 
miners'  revolt  against  the  Company.  They  insist  upon 
their  right  to  choose  a  deputy  to  control  the  weighing-in 
of  the  coal,  and  upon  having  the  mines  sprinkled  regularly 
to  prevent  explosion.  They  will  also  be  free  to  buy  their 
food  and  utensils  wherever  they  like,  even  in  shops  not 
belonging  to  the  Company. 

In  a  postscript  Sinclair  explains  the  fundamental  facts 
on  which  his  work  of  art  has  been  built  up.  Even  without 
the  postscript  one  could  not  help  feeling  convinced  that  the 
social  conditions  he  describes  are  true  to  life.  The  main 
point  is  that  Sinclair  has  not  allowed  himself  to  become 
inspired  by  hackneyed  phrases  that  bondage  and  injustice 
and  the  other  evils  and  crimes  of  Kingdoms  have  been 
banished  from  Republics,  but  that  he  i?  earnestly  point- 
ing to  the  honeycombed  ground  on  which  the  greatest 
modern  money-power  has  been  built.  The  fundament 
of  this  power  is  not  granite,  but  mines.  It  lives  and  breathes 
in  the  light,  because  it  has  thousands  of  unfortunates  toiling 
in  the  darkness.  It  lives  and  has  its  being  in  proud  liberty 
because  thousands  are  slaving  for  it,  whose  thraldom  is  the 
price  of  this  liberty. 

This  is  the  impression  given  to  the  reader  of  this  exciting 
novel. 

GEORG  BRANDES. 


BOOK  ONE 
\ 

THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL 


KING    GOAL 

§  1.  The  town  of  Pedro  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  moun- 
tain country;  a  straggling  assemblage  of  stores  and  saloons 
from  which  a  number  of  branch  railroads  ran  up  into 
the  canyons,  feeding  the  coal-camps.  Through  the  week 
it  slept  peacefully;  but  on  Saturday  nights,  when  the 
miners  came  trooping  down,  and  the  ranchmen  came  in  on 
horseback  and  in  automobiles,  it  wakened  to  a  seething 
life. 

At  the  railroad  station,  one  day  late  in  June,  a  young 
man  alighted -from  a  train.  He  was  about  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  with  sensitive  features,  and  brown  hair  hav- 
ing a  tendency  to  waviness.  Pie  wore  a  frayed  and  faded 
suit  of  clothes,  purchased  in  a  quarter  of  his  home  city 
where  the  Hebrew  merchants  stand  on  the  sidewalks  to 
offer  their  wares;  also  a  soiled  blue  shirt  without  a  tie, 
and  a  pair  of  heavy  boots  which  had  seen  much  service. 
Strapped  on  his  back  was  a  change  of  clothing  and  a 
blanket,  and  in  his  pockets  a  comb;  a  toothbrush,  and  a 
small  pocket  mirror. 

Sitting  in  the  smoking-car  of  the  train,  the  young  man 
had  listened  to  the  talk  of  the  coaUcamps;,  seeking  to  cor- 
rect his  accent.  When  he  got  off  the  train  he  proceeded 
down  the  track  and  washed  his  hands  with  cinders,  and 
lightly  powdered  some  over  his  face.  After  studying  the 
effect  of  this  in  his  mirror,  he  strolled  down  the  main 
street  of  Pedro,  and,  selecting  a  little  tobacco-shop,  went 
in.  In  as  surly  a  voice  as  he  could  muster,  he  inquired 
of  the  proprietress,  "  Can  you  tell  me  how  to  get  to  the 
Pin©  Creek  mine  ?  " 


4  KING  COAL 

The  woman  looked  at  him  with  no  suspicion  in  her 
glance.  She  gave  the  desired  information,  and  he  took  a 
trolley  and  got  off  at  the  foot  of  the  Pine  Creek  canyon,  up 
which  he  had  a  thirteen-mile  trudge.  It  was  a  sunshiny 
day,  with  the  sky  crystal  clear,  and  the  mountain  air 
invigourating.  The  young  man  seemed  to  be  happy,  and 
as  he  strode  on  his  way,  he  sang  a  song  with  many  verses : 

"  Old  King  Coal  was  a  mrrry  old  soul, 

And  a  merry  old  soul  was  he; 
He  made  him  a. college  all  full  of  knowledge  — 
Hurrah  for  you  and  me! 

"  Oh,  Liza-Ann,  come  out  with  me, 
The  moon  is  a-Buinin'  in  the  monkey-puzzle  tree; 
Oh,  Liza- Ann,  I  have  began 
To  sing  you  the  song  of  Harrigan! 

"  He  keeps  them  a-roll,  this  merry  old  soul  — 

The  wheels  of  industree; 
A-roll  and  a-roll,  for  his  pipe  and  his  bowl 
And  his  college  facultee! 

"  Oh,  Mary- Jane,  come  out  in  the  lane, 

The  moon  is  a-shinin'  in  the  old  pecan; 
Oh,  Mary- Jane,  don't  you  hear  me  a-sayin' 
I'll  sing  you  the  song  of  Harrigan! 

"  So  hurrah  for  King  Coal,  and  his  fat  pay-roll, 

And  his  wheels  of  industree! 
Hurrah  for  his  pipe;  and  hurrah  for  his  bowl  — 
And  hurrah  for  you  and  me! 

"Oh,  Liza- Ann,  come  out  with  me, 
The  moon  is  a-shinin' — " 

And  so  on  and  on  —  as  long  as  the  moon  was  a-shiniri' 
on  a  college  campus.     It  was  a  mixture  of  happy  non- 
sense and  that  questioning  with  which  modern  youth  has 
1 'begun  to  trouble  its  elders.     As  a  marching  tune,  the  song 
was  a  trifle  swift  for  the  grades  of  a  mountain  canyon; 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  5 

but  Hal  Warner  could  stop  and  shout  to  the  canyon-walls, 
and  listen  to  their  answer,  and  then  march  on  again.  He 
had  youth  in  his  heart,  and  love  and  curiosity;  also  he 
had  some  change  in  his  trousers'  pocket,  and  a  ten  dollar 
bill,  for  extreme  emergencies,  sewed  up  in  his  belt.  If  a 
photographer  for  Peter  Harrigan's  General  Fuel  Com- 
pany could  have  got  a  snap-shot  of  him  that  morning,  it 
might  have  served  as  a  "  portrait  of  a  coal-miner  "  in  any 
"  prosperity  "  publication. 

But  the  climb  was  a  stiff  one,  and  before  the  end  the 
traveller  became  aware  of  the  weight  of  his  boots,  and  sang 
no  more.  Just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  up  the  canyon,  he 
came  upon  his  destination  — -  a  gate  across  the  road,  with  a 
sign  upon  it: 

PINE  CREEK  COAL  CO. 

PRIVATE    PROPERTY 
TRESPASSING-  FORBIDDEN 

Hal  approached  the  gate,  which  was  of  iron. bars,  and 
padlocked.  After  standing  for  a  moment  to  get  ready  his 
surly  voice,  he  kicked  upon  the  gate  and  a  man  came  out 
of  a  shack  inside. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  said  he. 

"  I  want  to  get  in.     I'm  looking  for  a  job." 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  \  " 

'IFrom  Pedro." 

"  Where  you  been  working  ?  " 

"  I  never  worked  in  a  mine  before." 

"Where  did  you  work?" 

"  In  a  grocery-store." 

"  What  grocery-store  ?  " 

"  Peterson  &  Co.,  in  Western  City." 

The  guard  came  closer  to  the  gate  and  studied  him 
through  the  bars. 

"  Hey,  Bill !  "  he  called,  ,and  another  man  came  out  from 


G  KING  COAL 

the  cabin..    "  Here's  a- guy  says  he  worked  in  a  grocery, 
and  lie's  Ipokiir  for  a  job." 

"  Where's  your  papers?  "  demanded,  Bill. 
,  Every  one  had  told  Hal  that  labour  was  scarce  in  the 
mines,  and  that  the  companies  were  ravenous  for  men ;  he 
had  supposed  that  a  workingman  would  only  have  to  knock, 
and  it  would  be. opened  unto  him.  "  They  didn't  give  me 
no  papers/'  he  said,  and  added,  hastily,  "  I  got  drunk  and 
they  fired  me."  He  felt  quite  sure  that  getting  drunk 
would  not  bar  one  from  a  coal  camp. 

But  the  two  made  no  move  to  open  the  gate.  The  sec- 
ond man  studied  him  deliberately  from  top  to  toe,  and 
Hal,  was  uneasily  aware  of  possible  sources  of  suspicion. 
"  I'm  all  right,"  he  declared.  "  Let  me. in,  .and  I'll  show 
you." 

Still  the  two  made  no  move.  They  looked  at  each  other, 
and  then  Bill  answered,  "  We  don't  need  no  hands." 

"  But,"  exclaimed  Hal,  "  I  saw  a  sign  down  the  can- 
yon—". 
."  That's  an  old  sign,"  said  Bill. 

"  But  I  walked  all  the  way  up  here!  " 

"  You'll  find  it  easier  walkin'  back."      . 

"  But  —  it's  night !  " 

"  Scared  of  the  dark,  kid?  "  inquired  Bill,  facetiously. 

"  Oh,  say !  "  replied  Hal.  "  Give  a  fellow  a  chance ! 
Ain't  there  some  way  I  can  pay  for  my  keep  —  or  at  least 
for  a  bunk  to-night  ?  " 

"  There's  nothin'  for  you,"  said  Bill,  and  turned  and 
went  into  the  cabin. 

The  other  man  waited  and  watched,  with  a  decidedly 
hostile  look.  Hal  strove  to  plead  with  him,  but  thrice  he 
repeated,  "  Down  the  canyon  with  you."  So  at  last  Hal 
gave  up,  and  moved  down  the  road  a  piece  and  sat  down 
to  reflect. 

It  really  seemed  an  absurdly  illogical  proceeding,  to 
post  a  notice,  "  Hands  Wanted/'  in  conspicuous  places  on 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  7 

the  roadside,  causing  a  man  to  climb  thirteen  miles  up  a 
mountain  canyon,  only  to  be  turned  off  without  explana- 
tion. Hal  was  convinced  that  there  must  be  jobs  inside 
the  stockade,  and  that  if  only  he  could  get  at  the  bosses  he 
could  persuade  them.  He  got  up  and  walked  down  the 
road  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  to  where  the  railroad-track  crossed 
it,  winding  up  the  canyon.  A  train  of  "  empties  "  was 
passing,  bound  into  the  camp,  the  cars  rattling  and  bump- 
ing as  the  engine  toiled  up  the  grade.  This  suggested  a 
solution  of  the  difficulty. 

It  was  already  growing  dark.  Crouching  slightly,  Hal 
approached  the  cars,  and  when  he  was  in  the  shadows,, 
made  a  leap  and  swung  onto  one  of  them.  It  took  but  a 
second  to  clamber  in,  and  he  lay  flat  and  waited,  his  heart 
thumping. 

Before  a  minute  had  passed;he  heard  a  shout,  and  look- 
ing over,  he  saw  the  Cerberus  of  the  gate  running  4own  a 
path  to  the  track,  his  companion,  Bill,  just  behind  him. 
"  Hey!  come  out  of  there!  "  they  yelled;  and  Bill  leaped, 
and  caught  the  car  in  which  Hal  was  riding. 

The. latter  saw  that  the  game  was  up,  and  .sprang  to  the 
ground  on  the  other  side  of  the  track  and  started  out  of  the 
camp.  Bill  fallowed  him,  and  as  the  train  passe.d,  the 
other  man  ran  down  the  track  to  join  him.  Hal  was  walk- 
ing rapidly^  without  a  word ;  but  the  Cerberus  of  the  gate 
had  many  words,  most  of  them  unprintable,  and.  lie  seized 
Hal  by  the  collar,  and  shoving  him  violently,  planted  a 
kick  upon  that  portion  of  his  anatomy  which  nature  has 
constructed  for  the  reception  of  kicks.  Hal  recovered  his 
balance,  and,  as  the  man  was  still  pursuing  him,  he  turned 
and  aimed  a  blow,  striking  him  on  the  chest  and  making 
him  reel. 

Hal's  big  brother  had  seen  to  it  that  he  knew  how  to  use 
his  fists ;  he  now  squared  off,  prepared  to  receive  the  second 
of  his  assailants.  But  in  coal-camps  matters  are  not  set- 
tled in  that  primitive  way,  it  appeared.  ,The  man  halted, 


8  KING  COAL 

and  the  muzzle  of.  a  revolver  came  suddenly  under  Hal's 
nose.     "  Stick  reni  up !  ".said  llie  man. 

This  was  a  slang  which  Hal  had  never  heard,  but  the 
meaning  was  inescapable ;  he  "  stuck  'em  up."  At  the 
same  moment  his  first  assailant  rushed  at  him,  and  dealt 
him  a  blow  over  the  eye  which  sent  him  sprawling  back- 
ward upon  the  stones. 


§  2.  When  Hal  came  to  himself  again  he  was  in  dark- 
ness, and  was  conscious  of  agony  from  head  to  toe.  He 
was  lying  on  a  stone  floor,  and  he  rolled  over,  but  soon 
rolled  back  again,  because  there  was  no  part  of  his  back 
which  was  not  sore.  Later  on,  when  he  was  able  to  study 
himself,  he  counted  over  a  score  of  marks  of  the  heavy 
boots  of  his  assailants. 

He  lay  for  an  hour  or  two,  making  up  his  mind  that 
he  was  in  a  lock-up,  because  he  could  see  the  starlight 
through  iron  bars.  He  could  hear  somebody  snoring,  and 
he  called  half  a  dozen  times,  in  a  louder  and  louder  voice, 
until  at  last,  hearing  a  growl,  he'  inquired,  "  Can  you 
give  me  a  drink  of  water  ?  " 

"  I'll  give  you  hell  if  you  wake  me  up  again,"  said  the 
voice ;  after  which  Hal  lay  in  'silence  until  morning. 

A  couple  of  hours  after  daylight,  a  man  entered  his  cell. 
"  Get  up,"  said  he,  and  added  a  prod  with  his  foot.  Hal 
had  thought  he  could  not  do  it,  but  he  got  up. 

"  No  funny  business  now,"  said  his  jailer,  and  grasping 
him  by  the  sleeve  of  his  coat,  marched  him  out  of  the  ceil 
and  down  a  little  corridor  into  a  sort  of  office,  where  sat  a 
red-faced  personage  with  a  silver  shield  upon  the  lapel  of 
his  coat.  Hal's  two  assailants  of  the  night  before  stood 
nearby. 

"  Well,  kid  ?  "  said  the  personage  in  the  chair.  "  Had 
a  little  time  to  think  it  over  ?  " 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  9 

"  Yes,"  said  Hal,  briefly. 

"What's  the  charge?"  inquired  the  personage,  of  the 
two  watchmen. 

"  Trespassing  and  resisting  arrest." 

"  How  much  money  you  got,  young  fellow  ?  "  was  the 
next  question. 

Hal  hesitated. 

"  Speak  up  there !  "  said  the  man. 

"  Two  dollars  and  sixty-seven  cents,"  said  Hal  — "  as 
well  as  I  can  remember." 

"  Go  on  !  "  said  the  other.  "  What  you  givin'  us  ?  " 
And  then,  to  the  two  watchmen,  "  Search  him." 

"  Take  off  your  coat  and  pants,"  said  Bill,  promptly, 
"  and  your  boots." 

"  Oh,  I  say !  "  protested  Hal. 

"  Take  'em  off !  "  said  the  man,  and  clenched  his  fists. 
Hal  took  'em  off,  and  they  proceeded  to  go  through  the 
pockets,  producing  a  purse  with  the  amount  stated,  also  a 
cheap  watch,  a  strong  pocket  knife,  the  tooth-brush,  comb 
and  mirror,  and  two  white  handkerchiefs,  which  they 
looked  at  contemptuously  and  tossed  to  the  spittle-drenched 
floor. 

They  unrolled  the  pack,  and  threw  the  clean  clothing 
about.  Then,  opening  the  pocket-knife,  they  proceeded 
to  pry  about  the  soles  and  heels  of  the  boots,  and  to  cut 
open  the  lining  of.  the  clothing.  So  they  found  the  ten 
dollars  in  the  belt,  which  they  tossed  onto  the  table  with 
the  other  belongings.  Then  the  personage  with  the  shield 
announced,  "  I  fine  you  twelve  dollars  and  sixty-seven 
cents,  and  your  watch  and  knife."  He  added,  with  a 
grin,  "  You  can  keep  your  snot-rags." 

"  Now  see  here !  "  said  Hal,  angrily.  "  This  is  pretty 
raw!" 

"  You  get  your  duds  on,  young  fellow,  and  get  out  of 
here  as  quick  as  you  can,  or  you'll  go  in  your  shirt-t'iil." 

But  Hal  was  angry  enough  to  have  been  willing  to  go 


10  KING  COAL 

in  his  skin.  "You  tell  me  who  you  are, 'and  your  au- 
thority for  this  procedure?" 

"  I'm  marshal  of  the  camp/7  said  tfye  man. 

"You,. mean  you're  an  employe  of  the  General  Fuel 
Company?  And  you  propose  to  rob '-me—" 

"  Put  him  out.  Bill/'  said  the  marshal.  And  Hal  saw 
Bill's  fists  clench. 

"All  right,"  he  said/  swallowing  his  indignation. 
"Wait1  till  I  get  my  clothes  'on."  And  he  proceeded  to 
dress  as  quickly  as  possible;  he  rolled  up  his  blanket  and 
spare  clothing,  and  started  for  the  door. 

"  Remember,"  said  the  marshal,  "straight  down  the 
canyon  with  you,  and  if  you  show  your  face  round  here 
again,  you'll  get  a  bullet  through  you." 

So  Hal  went  out  into  the  sunshine,  with  a  guard  on 
each  side  of  him  as  an  escort.  He  was  on  the  same  moun- 
tain road,  but  in  the  rhidst  of  the  company-village.  In 
the  distance  he  saw  the  great  building  of  the  breaker, 
and  heard  the  incessant  roar  of  machinery  and.  falling 
coal.  lie  marched  past  a  double  l,ane  of  company  houses 
arid  shanties,  where  slattern  women  in  doorways  and  dirty 
children  digging  in  the  dust  of  the  roadside  paused  and 
grinned  at  him  —  for  he  limped  as  he  walked,  and  it  was 
evident  enough  what  had  happened  to  him. 

Hal  had  come  with  love  and  curiosity.  The  love  was 
greatly  diminished  —  evidently  this  was  not  the  force 
which  kept  the  wheels  of  industry  'a-roll.  But  the  curi- 
osity was  greater  than  ever.  What  was  there  so  care- 
fully hidden  inside  this  coal-camp  stockade? 

Hal  turned  and  looked  at  Bill,  who  had  showed  signs 
of  humour  the  day  before.  "  See  here,"  said  he,  "  you 
fellows  have  got  niy  money,  and  you've  blacked  my  eye 
and  kicked  me  blue,  so  you  ought  to  be  satisfied.  Before 
I  go,  tell  me  about  it,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Tell  you  what  ?  "  growled  Bill. 

"Why  did  I  get  this?" 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  11 

"Because  you're  too  gay,  kid.  Didn't  you  know  you 
had  no  business  trying  to  sneak  in  here?" 

"  Yes/7  said  Hal;  "  but  that's  not  what  I  mean.  Why 
didn't  you  let  me  in  at  first  ?  " 

"  If  you  wanted  a  job  in  a  mine/'  demanded  the  man, 
"  why  didn't  you  go  at  it  in  the  regular  way  ?  " 

"I  didn't  know  the  regular  way.77  % 

"That's  just  it.  And  we  wasn't  takin'  chances  with 
you.  You  didn't  look  straight.77 

"  But-  what  did  you  think  I  was?  What  are  you 
afraid  of'?  " 

"  Go  on  ! 77  said  the  man.     "  You  can't  work  me! 77 

Hal  walked  a  few  steps  in  silence,  ^pondering  how  to 
break  through.  "  I  see  you're  suspicious  of  me/'  he 
said.  "  Flf  tell  you  the  truth,  if  you'll  let  inc."  Then, 
as  the  other  did  not  forbid  him,  "  I'm  a  college  boy,  and 
I  wanted  to  see  life  and  shift  for  myself  a  while.  I 
thought  it  would  be  a  lark  to  come  here." 

"Well/7  said  Bill,  "this  ain't  no  foot-ball  field.  :  It's 
a  coal-mine." 

Hal  saw  that  his  story  had  been  accepted.  "  Tell  me 
straight/'  he  said,  "what  did  you  think  I  was?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  mind  telling,"  growled  Bill.  "  There's 
union  agitators  trying  to  organise  these  here  camps,  and 
we  ain't  taking  no  chances  with  'cm;  This  company  gets 
its  men  through  agencies,  and  if  you'd  went  ancl  satisfied 
them,  you'd  V  been  passed  'in  the  regular  way.  Or  if 
you'd  went  to  the  office  down  in  Pedro  and  got  a  pass, 
you'd  V  been  all  right.  But  when  a  guy  turns  up  at  the 
gate,  and  looks  like  a  dude  and  talks  like  a  college  per- 
fessor,  he  don't  get  by,  see  ?  " 

"  I  see,"  said1  Hal  And  then,  "  If  you'll  give  me  the 
price  of  a  breakfast  out  of  my  money,  I'll  be  obliged." 

"Breakfast  is  over,"  -said  Bill.  "You  sit  round  till 
the  piny  on  s  gets  ripe."  He  laughed;  but  then,  mellowed 
by  his  own  joke,  he  took  a  quarter  from  his  pocket  and 


12  KING  COAL 

• 

passed  it  to  Hal.  He  opened  the  padlock  on  the  gate  and 
saw  him  out  with  a  grin;  and  so  ended  Hal's  first  turn 
011  the  wheels  of  industry. 


§  3.  Hal  Warner  started  to  drag  himself  down  the 
road,  but  was  unable  to  make  it.  He  got  as  far  as  a 
brooklet .  that  came  down  the  mountain-side,  from  which 
he  might  drink  without  fear  of  typhoid;  there  he  lay  the 
whole  day,  fasting.  Towards  evening  a  thunder-storm 
came  up,  and  he  crawled  under  the  shelter  of  a  rock,  which 
was  no  shelter  at  all.  His  single  blanket  was  soon  soaked 
through,  and  he,  passed  a  night  almost  as  miserable  as 
the  previous  one.  He  could  not  sleep,  but  he  could  think, 
and  he  thought  about  what  had  happened  to  him.  "  Bill  " 
had  said  that  a  coal  mine  was  not  a  foot-ball  field,  but,  it 
Deemed  to  Hal  that  the  net  impress  pf.  the  two  was  very 
much  the  same.  He  congratulated  himself  that  his  pro- 
fession was  not  that  of  a  union  organiser. 

At*  dawn  he  dragged  himself  up,  and  continued  his 
journey,  weak, from  cold  and  unaccustomed  lack  of  food. 
In  the  course  of  the  day  he  reached  .a  power-station  near 
the  foot  of  the  canyon.  He  did  not  have  the  price  of  a 
meal,  and  was  afraid  to  beg;  but  in  one  of  the  group  of 
buildings  by  the  roadside  was  a  store,  and  he  entered  and 
inquired  concerning  prunes,  which  were  twenty-five  cents 
a  pound.  The  price  was  high,  but  so  was  the  altitude, 
and  as  Hal  found  in  the  course  of  time,  they  explained 
the  one  by  the  other  —  not  explaining,  however,  why  the 
altitude  of  the  price  was  always. greater  than  the  altitude 
of  the  store.  Over  the  counter  he  saw  a  sign :  "  We  buy 
scrip  at  ten  per  cent  discount.7'  He  had.  heard  rumours 
of  a  state  law  forbidding  payment  of  wages  in  "  scrip  "; 
but  he  asked  no  questions,  and  carried  off  his  'very  light 
pound  of  prunes,  and  sat  down  by  the  roadside  and 
munched  them.  , 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  13 

Just  beyond  the'  power-house,  down  on  the  railroad 
track,  stood  a  little  cabin  with  a  garden  behind  it.  lie 
made  his  way  there,  and  found  a  one-legged  old  watchman. 
He  asked  permission  to  spend  the  night  on  the  floor  of  the 
cabin ;  and  seeing  the  old  fellow  look  at  his  black  eye,  he 
explained,  "  I  tried  to  get  a  job  at  the  mine,  and  they 
thought  I  was  a  union  organiser.7' 

"  Well/7  said  the  man,  "  I  don't  want  no  Union  organ- 
isers round  here." 

"But  I'm  not  one,"  pleaded  Hal. 

"  How  do  I  know  what  you  are  ?  Maybe  you're  a  com- 
pany spy." 

"All  I  want  is  a  dry  place  to  sleep,"  said  Hal. 
"  Surely  it  won't  be  any  harm  for  you  to  give  me  that." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure,"  the  other  answered.  "  However, 
you  can  spread  your  blanket  in  the  corner.  But  don't 
you  talk  no  union  business  to  me." 

Hal  had  no  desire  to  talk.  He  rolled  himself  in  his 
blanket  and  slept  like  a  man  untroubled  by  either  love  or 
curiosity.  In  the  morning  the  old  fellow  gave  him  a 
slice  of  corn  bread  and  some  young  onions  out  of  his 
garden,  which  had  a  more  delicious  taste  than  any  break- 
fast that  had  ever  been  served  him.  When  Hal  thanked 
his  host  in  parting,  the  latter  remarked :  "  All  right, 
young  fellow,  there's  one  thing  you  can  do  to  pay  me,  and 
that  is,  say  nothing  about  it.  '  When  a  -man  has  grey 
hair  on  his  head  and  only  one  leg,  he  might  as  well  be 
drowned  in  the  creek  as  lose  his  job." 

Hal  promised/ and  went  his  way.  His  bruises  pained 
him  less,  and  he  was  able  to  walk.  There  were  ranch- 
houses  in  sight  —  it  was  like  coming  back  suddenly  to 
America ! 

§  4.  Hal  had  now  before  him  a  week's  adventures  as 
a  hobo:  a  genuine  hobo,  with  no  ten  dollar  bill  inside  his 
belt  to  take  the  reality  out  'of  his  experiences.  He  took 


14  KING  COAL 

stock  of  his  worldly  goods  and  wondered  if  he  still  looked 
like  a  dude.  lie  recalled  that  he  had. a  smile  which  had 
fascinated  the  ladies;  would  it  work  in  combination  with 
a  black  eye  ?  Haying  no  other  means  of  support,  he  tried 
it  on  susceptible  looking  housewives,  .and  found  it  so  suc- 
cessful that  he  was  tempted  to  doubt  the  wisdom  of  honest 
labour.  He  sang  the  Harrigan  song  no  more,  but  instead 
the  .words  of  a  hobo-song  he  had  once  heard: 

u  Oh,  what's  the  use  of  workin'  when  there's  women 
in  the  land?" 

The  second  day  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  two  other 
gentlemen  of  the  road,  who  sat  by  the  railroad-track  toast- 
ing some  bacon  :over  a  fire.  They  welcomed  himj  and 
after  they  had  heard  his  story,  adopted  him  into  the  fra- 
ternity and  instructed  him  in  its  ways  of  life.  Pretty 
soon  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  one  who  had  been  a 
miner,  and  was  able  to  give  him  the  information  he 
needed  before  climbing  another  canyon. 

"  Dutch  Mike "  was  the  name  this  person,  bore;  for 
reasons  he  did  not  explain.  He  was  a  black-eyed  and  dan- 
gerous-looking rascal,  and  when  the  subject  of.  mines  and 
mining  was  broached,  he  opened  .up  the  ilood-gates  of  an 
amazing  reservoir  of  profanity.  He  was  through  with 
that  game-— Hal  or  any.  other  God-damned  fool  might 
have  his  job  for  .the  asking.  "  It  was  only  because  there 
were  so  many  natural-born  God-damne^  fools  in  the  world 
that  the  game  could.be  kept  going.  "  Dutch  Mike  "  went 
on  to  relate  dreadful  tales  of  mine-life,,  and  to  summon 
before  him  the  ghosts  of  one  pit-boss  after  another,  con- 
signing them  .to  the  fires  of  eternal  perdition. 

"  I  wanted  to  work  while  I  was  young,"  said  he,  "  but 
now  I'm  cured,  an'  fer  good."  The  world  had  come  to 
seem  to  him  a  place  especially  constructed  for  the  purpose 
of  making  him  work,  and  every  faculty  he  possessed  was 
devoted  to  foiling  this  plot.  Sitting  by  a  camp-fire  near 
the  stream  which  ran  down  the  valley,  Hal  had  a  merry 


THE  DOMAIN  OF-.  KING  COAL  15 

time  pointing  out  to  "  Dutch  Mike  "  how  he  worked  harder 
at  dodging  work  than  other  men  worked  at  working.  The 
hobo  did.  pot.  .seem  to  mind  that,  however  —  it  was  a,  mat- 
ter of  principle  with  him,  and  he  was  willing  to  make 
sacrifices  for  his  convictions.  Even  when  they  had  sent 
him  to  the  work-house,  he  had  refused  to  work;  he  had 
been'  shut  in  a  dungeon,  and  had  nearly  died  on  a  diet 
of  bread  and  water,  rather  than  work.  If  everybody 
would  do  the  same,  he  said,  they  would  soon  "  bus.t  things." 

Hal  took  a  fancy  toxthis  spontaneous  revolutionist,  and 
travelled  with  him  for  a  couple  of  days,  in  the  course  of 
which  he  pumped  him  as  to  details  of  the  life  of  a,  miner, 
Most  of  the  companies  used  regular  employment  agencies, 
as  the  guard  had  mentioned;  but  the  trouble  was,  these 
agencies  got  something  from  your  pay  for  a  long  time  — 
the  bosses  were  "  in  cahoots  "  with  them.  When  Hal  won- 
dered if  this  were  not  against  the  law,  "  Cut  it  .out,  Bo!  " 
said  his  companion.  "  When  you've  had  a  job  for  a  while, 
you'll  know  that  the  law  in  a  coal-camp  is  what  your  boss 
tells  you."  The  hobo  went  on  to  register  his  conviction 
that  when  one  man  has  the. giving  of  jobs,  and  other  men 
have,  to  scramble  for  them,  the  law  would  never  have  much 
to  say  in  the  deal.  Hal  judged  this  a  profound  observa- 
tion, and  wished  that  it  might  be  conimunicated  to  the 
professor  of  political  economy  at  Harrigan. 

On  the  second  night  of  his  acquaintance  with  "  Dutch 
Mike,"  their  "  jungle  "  was  raided  by  a  constable  with 
half  a  dozen  deputies;  for  a  determined  effort  was  being 
made  just  then  to  drive  vagrants  from  the  neighbourhood 
•• —  or  to  get  them  to  work  in  the  mines.  Hal's  friend,  who 
slept  with  one  eye  open,  made  a  break  in  the  darkness,  and 
Hal  followed  him,  getting  under  the  guard  of  the  raiders 
by  a  foot-ball  trick.  They  left  their  food  and  blankets 
behind  them,  but  "  Dutch  Mike  "  made  light  of  this,  and 
lifted  a  chicken  from  a  roost  to  keep  them  cheerful  through 
the  night  hours,  and  stole  a  change  of  underclothing  off  a 


16  KING  €OAL 

clothes-line  the  next  day.  Hal  ate  the  chicken,  and  wore 
the  underclothing,  thus  beginning  his  career  in  crime. 

Parting  from  "  Dutch  Mike,"  he  went  back  to  Pedro. 
The  hobo  had  told  him  that  saloon-keepers  nearly  always 
had  friends  in  the  coal-camps,  and  could  help  a  fellow  to 
a  job.  So  Hal  began  enquiring,  and  the  second  one  re- 
plied, Yes,  he  would  give  him  a  letter  to  a  man  at  North 
Valley,  and  if  he  got  the  job,  the  friend  would  deduct  a 
dollar  a  month  from  his  pay.  Hal  agreed,  and  set  out 
upon  another  tramp  up  another  canyon,  upon  the  strength 
of  a  sandwich  "  bummed  "  from  a  ranch-house  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  valley.  At  another  stockaded  gate  of  the 
General  Fuel  Company  he  presented  his  letter,  addressed 
to  a  person  named  O'Callahan,  who  turned  out  also  to  be 
a  saloon-keeper. 

.The  guard  did  not  even  open  the  letter,  but  passed  Hal 
in  at  sight  of  it,  and  lie  sought  out  his  man  and  applied 
for  work.  The  man  said  he  would  help  him,  but  would 
have  .to  deduct  a  dollar  a  month  for  himself,  as  well  as  a 
dollar  for  his  friend  in  Pedro.  Hal  kicked  at  this,  and 
they  bartered  back  and  forth ;  finally,  when  Hall  turned 
away  and  threatened  to  appeal  directly  to  the  "  super," 
the  saloon-keeper  compromised  on  a  dollar  and  a  half. 

"  You  know  mine-work  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Brought  up  at  it,"  said  Hal,  made  wise,  now,  in  the 
ways  of  the  world. 

"  Where  did  you  work  ?  " 

Hal  named  several  mines,  concerning  which  he  had 
learned  something  from  the  hoboes.  He  was  going  by  the 
name  of  "  Joe  Smith,"  which  he  judged  likely  to  be  found 
on  the  payroll  of  any  mine.  He  had  more  than  a  week's 
growth  of  beard  to  disguise  him,  and  had  picked  up  some 
profanity  as  well. 

The  saloon-keeper  took  him  to  interview  Mr.  Alee  Stone, 
pit-boss  in  Number  Two  mine,  who  inquired  promptly: 
"  You  know  anything  about  mules  ?  " 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  17 

"  I  worked  in  a  stable,"  said  Hal,  "  I  know  about 
horses." 

"  Well,  mules  is  different,"  said  the  man.  "  One  of  my 
stable-men  got  the  colic  the  other  day,  and  I  don't  know  if 
he'll  ever  be  any  good  again." 

"  Give  me  a  chance,"  said  Hal.     "  I'll  manage  them." 

The  boss  looked  him  over,  u  You  look  like  a  bright 
chap,"  said  he.  "  I'll  pay  you  forty-live  a  month,  and  if 
you  make  good  I'll  make  it  fifty." 

"  All  right,  sir.     When  do  I  start  in  2  " 

"  You  can't  start  too  quick  to  suit  me.  Where's  your 
duds  ? " 

"  This  is  all  I've  got,"  said  Hal,  pointing  to  the  bundle 
of  stolen  underwear  in  his  hand. 

" 'Well,  chuck  it  there  in  the  corner,"  said  the  man; 
then  suddenly  he  stopped,  and  looked  at  Hal,  frowning. 
"  You  belong  to  any  union  ?  " 

"  Lord,  no !  " 

"  Did  you  ever  belong  to  any  union  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.     Never." 

The  man's  gaze  seemed  to  imply  .that  Hal  was  lying, 
and  that  his  secret  soul  was  about  to  be  read.  "  You  have 
to  swear  to  that,  you  know,  before  you  can  work  here." 

"  All  right,"  said  Hal,  "  I'm  willing." 

"  I'll  see  you  about  it  to-morrow,"  said  the  other.  "  I 
ain't  got  the  paper  writh  me.  By  the  way,  what's  your 
religion  ?  " 

"Seventh  Day  A.dventist." 

"Holy  Christ!     What's  that?" 

"  It  don't  hurt/'  said  Hal.  "  I  ain't  supposed  to  work 
on  Saturdays,  but  I  do." 

"  Well,  don't  you  go  preachin'  it  round  here.  We  got 
our  own  preacher  —  you  chip  in  fifty  cents  a  month  for 
him  out  of  your  wages.  Come  ahead  now,  and  I'll  take 
you  down."  And  so  it  was  that  Hal  got  his  start  in 
life. 


18  KIXG  COAL 

§  5.  The  mule  is  notoriously  a  profane  and  godless 
creature;  a  blind  alley  of  Nature,  so  to  speak,  a  mistake 
of  which  she  is  ashamed,  and  which  she  does  not  permit 
to  reproduce  itself.  The  thirty  mules  under  Hal's  charge 
had  been  brought,  up  in  an  environment  calculated  to  fos- 
ter the  worst  tendencies  of  their  natures.  He  soon  made 
the  discovery  that  the  "  colic  "  of  his  predecessor  had  been 
caused  by  a  mule's  hind  foot  in  the  stomach;  and  he  re1 
alised  that  he  must  not  let  his  mind  'Wander  for  an  instant, 
if  he  were  to  avoid  this  dangerous  disease. 

These  mules  lived  their  lives  in  the  darkness  of  the 
earth's  interior ;  only  when  they  fell  sick  were  they  taken 
up  to  see  the  sunlight  and  to  roll  about  in  green  pastures. 
There  was  one  of  them  called  "Dago  Charlie,"  who  had 
learned  to  chew  tobacco,  and  to  runlmage  in  the  pockets 
of  the  miners  and  their  "  buddies.."  Not' knowing  how  to 
spit  out  the  juice,  he  would  make  'himself  ill,  and  then 
he  would  swear  off  from  indulgence.  But  the  drivers  and 
the  pit-boys  knew  his  failing,  and  would  tempt  "Dago 
Charlie  "  until  he  fell  from  grace.  Hal  soon  discovered 
this  moral  tragedy,  and  carried  the  pain  of  it  in  his  soul 
as  he  went  about  his  all-day  drudgery. 

He  went  down  the  shaft  with  the  first  cage,  which  was 
very  early  in  the  morning.  He  fed  and  watered  his 
charges,  and  helped  to  harness  them.  Then,  when  the 
last  four  hoofs  had  clattered  away,  he  cleaned  out  the 
stalls,  and  mended  harness,  and  obeyed  the. orders  of  any 
person  older  than  himself  who  happened  to  be  about. 

Next  to  the  mules,  his  torment;  was  the '"  trapper-boys," 
and  other  youngsters  with  whom  he  came  into  contact. 
He  was  a  newcomer,  and  so  they  hazed  him;  moreover,  he 
had  an  inferior  job  —  there  scorned  to  their  minds  to  be, 
something  humiliating  and  comic  about  the  task  of  tend- 
ing mules.  .These  urchins  came  from  a  score  of  nations 
of  Southern  Europe  and  Asia;- there  were  flat-faced  Tar- 
tars and  swarthy  Greeks  and  shrewd-eyed  little  Japanese. 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  10 

They  spoke  a  compromise  language,  consisting  mainly  of 
English  curse  words  and  obscenities  *  the  filthiness  which 
their  minds  had  spawned  was  incredible  to  one  born  and 
raised  in  the  sunlight.  They  alleged  obscenities  of  their 
mothers  and  their  grandmothers  ;•  also  of. the  Virgin  Mary, 
the  one  mythological  character  they  had  heard  of.  Poor 
little  creatures  of  the  dark,  their  souls  grimed  and  smut- 
ted even  more  quickly  and  irrevocably  than  their  faces ! 

Hal  had  been  advised'  by  his  boss  to  inquire  for  board 
at  "  Rerninitsky's."  He  came  up  in  the  last  car,  at  twi- 
light,, and  was  directed  to  a  dimly  lighted  building  of 
corrugated  iron,  where  upon  inquiry  he  was  met  by  a 
stout  Russian,  who  told  him  he  could  be  taken  care  of  for 
twenty-seven  dollars  a  month,  this  including  a  cot  in  a 
room  with  eight  other  single  men.  After  deducting  a 
dollar  and  a  half  a  month  for  his  saloon-keepers,  fifty 
cents  for  the  company  clergyman  and  a  dollar  for  the  com- 
pany doctor,  fifty  cents  a  month  for  wash-house  privileges 
and  fifty  cents  for  a  sick  and  accident  benefit  fund,  he  had 
fourteen  dollars  a  month  with  which  to  clothe  himself, 
to  found  a  family,  to  provide  himself  with  beer  and  to- 
bacco, and  to  patronise  the  libraries  and  colleges  endowed 
by  the  philanthropic  owners  of  coal  mines. 

Supper  was  nearly  over  at  Ixeminitsky's  when  he  ar- 
rived;  -the  floor  -looked  like  the  scene  6f  a  cannibal  picnic, 
and  what  food  was  left  was  cold.  It  was  always  to  be 
this  way  with  him,  he  found,  and  he  had  to  make'  the  best 
of  it.  The  dining-room  of  this  boarding-house,  owned  and 
managed  by  the  G.  F.  C.,  brought  to  his  mind  the  state 
prison,  which  he  had  once  visited — with  its  rows  of  nieii 
sitting  in  silence,  eating1  starch  and  grease  out  of  tin-plates. 
The  plates  here  were  of  crockery 'half  an  inch  thick,  but 
the  starch  and  grease  never  failed; 'the  formula  of  Kcm- 
i  nit  sky's  cook  seemed  to  be,  When  in  doubt  add  grease, 
and  boil  it  in.  Even  ravenous  as  Hal  was  after  his  long 
tramp  and  his  labour  below  ground,  he  could  hardly  swal- 


20  KING  COAL 

low  this  food.  On  Sundays,  the  only  time  he  ate  by  day- 
light?, the  flies  swarmed  over  everything,  and  he  .remem- 
bered having  heard  a  physician  say  that  an  enlightened 
man  should  be  more  afraid  of  a  fly  than  of  a  Bengal  tiger. 
The  •boarding-house  provided  him  with  a  cot  and  a 
supply  of  vermin,  but  with.no  blanket,  which  was  a  neces- 
sity in  the  mountain  regions.  So  after  supper  he  had  to 
seek  out  his  boss,  and  arrange  to  get  credit  at  the  company- 
store*  They  were  'willing  to  give  a  certain  amount  of 
credit,  he  found,  as  this  would  enable  the  camp-marshal  to 
keep  him  from  straying.  There  was  no  law  to  hold  a  man 
for  debt  —  but  Hal  knew  by  this  time  how  much  a  camp- 
rnarshal  cared  for  law. 


§  6,  For  three  days  Hal  toiled  in  the  bowels  of  the 
mine,  and  ate  and  pursued  vermin  at  Reminitsky's. 
Then  came  a  blessed  Sunday,  and  he  had  a  couple  of  free 
hours  to  see  the  sunlight  and  to  get  a  look  at  the  North 
Valley  camp.  It  was  a  village  straggling  along  .more 
than  a  mile  of  the  mountain  canyon.  In  the  centre  were 
the  great  breaker- build  ings,  the  shaft-house,  and  the  power- 
house with  its  tall  chimneys ;  nearby  were  the  company- 
store  and  a  couple  of  saloons.  There  were  several  board- 
ing-houses like  Reminitsky's,  and  long  rows  of  board  cabins 
containing  from  two  to  four  rooms,  each,  some  of  them 
occupied  by  several  families.  A  little  way  up  a  slope 
stood  a  school-house*  and  another  small  one-room  building 
which  served  as  a  church ;  the  clergyman  belonging  to  the 
General  Fuel  Company  denomination.  He  was  given  the 
use  of  the  building,  by  way  of  start  over  the  saloons,  which 
had  to  pay  a  heavy  rental  to  the  company;  it  seemed  a 
proof  of  tlae  innate  perversity  of  human  nature  that  even 
in  spite  of  this  advantage,  heaven  was  losing  out  in  the 
struggle  against  hell  in  the  coal-camp. 

As  one  walked  through  this  village,  the  first  impression 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  21 

was  of  desolation.  ,  The  mountains  towered,  barren  and 
lonely,  scarred  with  the  w.ounds  of  geologic  ages.  In  these 
canyons  the  sun  set  early  in  the  afternoon,  the  snow  came 
early  in  the  if  all;  everywhere  Nature's  hand  seemed  against 
man,  and,  man  had  succumbed  to  her  power."  Inside  the 
.camps  one  felt  a  still  more  cruel  desolation  —  that  of 
sordidness  and  animalism.  There  were  a  few  pitiful  at- 
tempts at  vegetable-gardens,  but.  the  cinders  and  smoke 
killed  everything,  and  the  prevailing  colour  was  of  grime. 
The  landscape  was .  strewn  with  ash-hea.pS)  old  wire  and 
tomato-cans,  and  smudged  and  smutty  children  .playing. 

.There  was  a  part  of  the  camp  called  ."  shanty-town," 
where,  amid  miniature  mountains  of  slag,  some  of  the 
lowest  of  the • newly-arrived  foreigners  had  been  permitted 
to.  build  themselves  shacks  out  of  old  boards,  tin,  and 
sheets  of  tar-paper.  These  homes  were  beneath  th^';  dig- 
nity of  chicken-houses,  yet  in  some  of  them  a  dozen  people 
were  crowded,  men  and  women  skeping  on  old  rags  and 
blankets  on  a  cinder  floor.  Here  the  babies  swarmed  like 
maggots.  They  wore  for  the  most  part  a  single  ragged 
srnock,  and  their  bare  buttocks  were  shamelessly  upturned 
to  the  heavens.  It  was  so  the  children  of  the  cave-men 
must  have  played,  thought  Hal;  and  waves  of  repulsion 
swept  over  him.  He  had  come  with  love  and  curiosity, 
but  both  motives  failed  here.  How  could  a  man  of  sensi- 
tive nerves,  aware  of  the  refinements  and  graces  of  life, 
learn  to  love  these  people,  who  were  an  affront  to  his  every 
sense  —  a  stench  to  his  nostrils,  a  jabbering  to  his  ear, 
a  procession  of  deformities  to  his  eye  ?  What  had  civili- 
sation done  for  them?  What  cpuld  it  do?  After  all, 
what  were  they  fit  for,  but  the  dirty  work  they  were  penned 
up  to  do?  So  spoke  the  haughty  race-consciousness  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon,  contemplating  these  Mediterranean  hordes, 
the  very  shape  of  whose  heads  was  objectionable. 

But  Hah  stuck  it  Out;  and  little  by  little  new  vision 
came  to  him.  First  of  all,  it  was  the  fascination  of  the 

3 — Mch.21 


22  KING  COAL 

mines.  They  were  old  mines — veritable' cities  tunnelled 
out  beneath  the  mountains,  the  main  passages  running- for 
miles.  One  day  Hal  stole  otf  from  his  job,  and  took  a 
trip  with  a  "  rope-rider,"  and  got  through  his  physical 
senses  a  realisation  of  the  vastness  and  strangeness  and 
loneliness  of  this  labyrinth  of  night.  In  Number  Two 
mine  the  vein  ran  up  at  a  slope  of  perhaps  five  degrees; 
in  part  of  it  the  empty  cars  were  hauled  in  long  trains  by 
an  endless  rope,  but  coming  back  loaded,  they  came  of 
their  own  gravity.  This  involved  much  work  for  the 
"  spraggers,"  or  boys  who  did  the  braking ;  it  sometimes 
meant  run-away  cars,  and  fresh  perils  added  to  the  every- 
day perils  of  coal-mining. 

The  vein  varied  from  four  to  five  feet  in  thickness;  a 
cruelty  of  nature  which  made  it  necessary  that  the  men 
at  the  "  working'  face  "—  the  place  where  new  coal  was 
being'  cut  —  should  learn  to  'shorten  their  stature.  After 
!Hal  had  squatted  for  a'  while  and  watched  them  at  their 
tasks,  he  understood  why  the^  walked  with  head  and  shoul- 
ders bent  over  and  arms  hanging  down," 'so  that,  seeing 
them  coming  out  of  the  shaft  in  the  gloaming,  one  thought 
of  a  file  of  baboons.  The  method  of  getting  out  the  Coal 
was  to  "  undercut  "  it  with  a  pick,  and  then  blow  it  loose 
with  a  charge  of  powder.  This  meant  that  the  miner  had 
to  lie  on  his  side  while  working,  and  accounted  for  other 
physical  peculiarities. 

Thus,  as  always,  when  one  understood  the  lives  of  men, 
one  came  to  pity  instead  of  despising:  '  Here  was  a  sepa- 
rate race  of  creatures,  subterranean  gnomes,  pent  up  by  so- 
ciety for  purposes  of  its-  own:-'  Outside  in  the  sunshine- 
flooded  canyon,  long  lines  ;of~cars  rolled  down  with  their 
freight  of  soft-coal ;  coal  which  would  go  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  to  places  the  miner  never  heard  of,  turning  the 
wheels  of  industry  whose  products  the  miner  would  never 
see.  It  would  make  precious  silks  for  fine  ladies,  it  would 
cut  precious  jewels  for  their  adornment;  it  w7ould  carry 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  23 

long"  trains  of  softly  upholstered  cars  across-  deserts :  and 
over  mountains ;  it  would  drive  palatial  steanlships  out  of 
wintry  tempests  into  gleaming  tropic  seas.  And  the1  fine 
ladies  in"  their  precious  silks  and  jewels  would  eat;  and 
sleep  and  laugh  and  lie  at  ease- —  and  would  know  no  more 
of  the  stunted  creatures  of 'the  dark  than  the  stunted  crea- 
tures knew  of  them.  Hal  reflected  upon  this,  and  sub- 
dued his  Anglo-Saxon  pride,  finding  forgiveness  for  \what 
was  repulsive  in  these  people— their  barbarous,  jabbering 

speech,   their   vermin-ridden  •  homes,   their  bare-bottomed 

i5, .    >  •  ? 

babies. 


§  7'.  It  chanced  before  many  days  that  Hal  got  a  holi- 
day, relieving  the  monotony  of  his  labours  as  stableman: 
an  -accidental  holiday,  not?' -provided  for  in  his  bargain 
with  the  pit-boss.  Something  went^wrong  with  the  ven- 
tilating-course  in  Number  Two,  and  he  began  to  notice  a 
headache,  and  heard  the  men  grumbling  that  their  lamps 
were  Burning  low.  Then,  as  matters  began  to  get  serious^ 
orders  came  to  get  the  mules  to  the  surface. 

Which  meant  an  amusing  adventure.  The  delight  of 
Hal's  pets  at  seeing  the  sunlight  was  irresistibly  comic. 
They  could1  not  be  kept  from  lying  down  and  rolling  on 
their  backs  in  the  cinder-strewn  street;  and  when  they 
Were  corralled  fei  a  distant  part  of  the  camp  where  actual 
grass  grew,  they  abandoned  themselves  to  rapture  like  a 
horde  of  school  children  at  a  picnic*  , 

So  Hal  had  a  few  free  hours;  and  being  still  young  and 
not  cured  of  idle  curiosities,  he  climbed  the  caliyon  wall  to 
see  the  mountains.  As  he  was  sliding  down  again,  toward 
evening,  a  vivid  spot  of  colour  was  painted, 'into  his  picture 
of  mine-life ;  he  found  himself  in  somebody's  back  yard, 
and  being  observed  by  somebody's  daughter,  who  was  tak- 
ing in  the  family  wash.  It  was  a  splendid  figure  of  a  lass, 
tall  and  vigorous,  with  the ;  sort  of  hair -that  in  polite 


24  KING  COAL 

circles  is  called  auburn,  and  that  flaming  colour  in  the 
cheeks  which  is  Nature's  recompense  to  people  who  live 
where  it  rains  all,  the  time.  She  was  the  first  beautiful 
sight  Hal  had  seen  since  he  had  come  up  the  canyon,  and 
it  was  only  natural  that  he  should  be  interested.  It  seemed 
to  him  that,  so  long  as  the  girl  stared,  he  had  a  right  to 
stare  back.  It  did  not  occur  to  him  that  he  too  was  a 
pleasing  sight  - —  that  the  mountain  air  had  given  colour 
to  his  cheeks  and  a  shine  to  his  gay  brown  eyes,  while 
the  mountain  winds  had  blown  his  wavy  brown  hair. 

"  Hello,"  said  she,  at  last,  in  a  warm  voice,  unmis- 
takably Irish. 

"  Hello  yourself,"  said  Hal,  in  the  accepted  dialect ; 
then  he  added,  with  more  elegance,  "  Pardon  me  for  tres- 
passing on  your  wash." 

Her  grey  eyes  opened  wider.     "  Go  on!  "  she  said. 
.     "  I'd  rather  stay,"  said  Hal.     "  It's  a  beautiful  sun- 
set." 

"  I'll  move,  so  ye  can  see  it  better."  ;  She  carried  her 
armful  of  clothes  over  and  dropped  them  into  the  basket. 

"  No,"  said  Hal,  "  it's  not  so  fine  now.  The  colours 
have  faded." 

She  turned  and  gazed  at  him  again.  "  Go  on  wid 
ye!  I  been  teased  about  my  hair  since  before  I  could 
talk," 

"  'Tis  envy,"  said  Hal,  dropping  into  her  way  of  speech ; 
and  he  came  a  few  steps  nearer,  so  that  he  could  inspect 
the  hair  more  closely.  It  lay  above  her  brow  in  undula- 
tions which  were  agreeable  to  the  decorative  instinct,  and 
a  tight  heavy  braid  of  it  fell  over  her  shoulders  and  swung 
to  her  waist-line.  He  observed  the  shoulders,  which  were 
sturdy,  obviously  accustomed  to  hard  labour ;  not  conform- 
ing to  accepted  romantic  standards  of  femininity,  yet 
having  an  "athletic  grace  of  their  own.  They  were  cov- 
ered with  a  faded  blue  calico  dress,  unfortunately  riot 
entirely  clean;  also,  the  young  man  noticed,  there  was 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  25 

a  rent  in  one  shoulder  through  which  a  patch  of  skin  was 
visible.  The  girl's  eyes,  which  had  been  following  his, 
became  defiant;  she  tossed  a  piece  of  her  washing  over 
the  shoulder,  where  it  stayed  through  the  balance  o-f  the 
interview. 

"  Who  are  ye  ?  "  she  demanded,  suddenly. 

"  My  name's  Joe  Smith.  I'm  a  stableman  in  Number 
Two." 

"  And  what  were  ye  doin'  up  there,  if  a  body  might 
ask?"  She  lifted  her  grey  eyes  to  the  bare  mountain- 
side, down  which  he  had  come  sliding  in  a  shower  of  loose 
stones  and  dirt. 

"  I've  been  surveying  my  empire,"  said  he. 

"Your  what?" 

"  My  empire.  The  land  belongs  to  the  company,  but 
the  landscape  belongs  to  him  who  cares  for  it." 

She  tossed  her  head  a  little.  "  Where  did  ye  learn  to 
talk  like  ye  do?" 

"  In  another  life,"  said  he- — "  before  I  became  a  stable- 
man. Not  in  entire  forgetfulness,  but  trailing  clouds  of 
glory  did  I  come." 

For  a  moment  she  wrestled  with  this.  Then  a  smile 
broke  upon  her  face.  "  Sure,  'tis  like  a  poetry-book ! 
Say  some  more !  " 

"  0,  singe  fort,  so  suess  und  fein !  "•  quoted  Hal  —  and 
saw  her  look  puzzled. 

"  Aren't  you  American  ?  "  she  inquired  ;  and  he  laughed. 
To  speak  a  foreign  language  in  North  Valley  was  not  a 
mark  of  culture ! 

"  I've  been  listening  to  the  crowd  at  Remiititsky's,"  he 
said,  apologetically. 

"Oh!     You  eat  there ?" 

"  I  go  there  three  times  a  day.  I  can't  say  I  eat  very 
much.  Could  you  live  on  greasy  beans?  " 

"  Sure,"  laughed  the  girl,  "  the  good  old  pertaties  is 
good  enough  for  me." 


26  KING  COAL 

9 

"  I  should  have  said  you  lived  on  rose  leaves!  "  be. ob- 
served. 

"  Go  on  wid  ye !  'Tis  the  blaruev-stone  ye  been 
kisshr!" 

"  'Tis  no  stone  I'd  be  wastin'  my  kisses  on." 

"Ye're  gettin'  bold,  Mister  Smith.  I'll  not  listen  to 
ye."  And  she  turned  away,  and  began  industriously  tak- 
ing her  clothes  from  the  line.  But  Hal  did  not  want  to 
be  dismissed.  -He  came  a  step  closer. 

a  Coming  down  the  mountain-side^7  he  said,  "I  found 
something  wonderful.  -It's  bare  and  grim,  up  there,  but 
I  came  on  a  sheltered  corner  where  the  sun,  shone,  ^iid 
there  was  a  wild  rose.  Only  one!  I  thought  to  myself, 
'  So  roses  grow,  even  in  the  loneliest  parts  of  the  world !  ' 

"  Sure,  'tis  a;  poetry-book  again  !  "•"she  cried.  "  Why 
didn't  ye  bring  the  rose  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  poetry-book  that  tells  us  :to  '  leave  the  wild- 
rose  on  its  stalk.'  It  will  go  on  blooming  there;  but  if 
one  were  to  pluck  it,  it  would  wither  in  a  few  hours," 

He  ha,d  meant  nothing  more  by  this  than  to  keep  the 
conversation  going.  But  her  answer  turned  the  tide  of 
their  acquaintance. 

"  Ye  can  never  >be  sure,  lad.  Perhaps  tonight  a  storm 
may  come  and  blow  it  to  pieces.  Perhaps  if  ye'd  pulled 
it  and  been  happy,  'twould  V  been  what  the  rose  was 
for." 

Whatever  of  unconscious  patronage  there  had  been  in 
the  poet's  attitude  :was  lost  now  in -the.  •eternal -mystery. 
Whether  the  girl  knew  it  —  or  cared  —  she  had  won  the 
woman's'  first  victory;  She  had  caught  the  man's  mind 
and  pinned  it  with  curiosity.  WThat  did  this  wild  rose 
of  the  mining  camps  mean  ? 

The  wild  rose,  apparently  unconscious  that  she  had 
said  anything  epoch-making,  was  busy  with  the  wash ;  and 
meantime  Hal  Warner  stiidiecl.ber  features  and  pondered 
her  words.  From  a  lady  of  sophistication  they  would 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  27 

have  meant  only  one  thing,  an  invitation;  but  in  this  girl's 
clear  grey  eyes  was  nothing  of  wantonness,  only  pain. 
But  what  was :  this  pain  in  the  face  and  words  of  one  so 
young,  so  eager  arid  alive?.'  Was  it  the  melancholy  of 
her  race,  the  thing  one  got  in  old  folksongs?  Or  was  it 
a  new  and  special  'kind  of  melancholy,  engendered  in  min- 
ing-camps in  the  far  West  of  America  ? 

The  girl's  countenance  was  as  intriguing  as  her  words. 
Her  grey  eyes  were  set  under  sharply  defined  dark  brows, 
which  did  not  match  her  hair.  Her  lipsialso  were  sharply 
defined,  and  straight,  almost  without ;  curves,  so  that  it 
seemed  as  if  her  mouth  had  been  painted  in  carmine  upon 
her  face.  These  features  gave  her,  when  she  stared  at 
you,  an  aspect  vivid  and  startling,  bold,  with  a  touch  of 
defiance.  But  when  she  smiled,  the  red  lips  wpul<\  curve 
into  gentler  lines,'  and  the  grey  eyes  would  become  wist- 
ful, and  seemingly  darker  in  colour.  Winsome  indeed, 
but  not  simple,  was  this  Irish  lass ! 


*  §  8.  Hal  asked  the  name  of  his  new  acquaintance,  and 
she  told  him  it  was  Alary  Burke.  "  Ye've  not  been  here 
long,  I  take  it,"  she  said,  "or  ye'd  have  heard  of  '  Red 
Mary.'  'Tis  along  of  this  hair." 

"I've  not  been  here  long,"  he  answered,  "but  I  shall 
hope  to  stay  now  —  along  of  this, hair!  May  I  come  to 
see  you  some  time,  Miss  Burke  ?  " 

She  did  not  reply,  but  glanced  at  the  house  where  she 
lived.  It  was  an  unpainted,  three  room  cabin,  more 
dilapidated  than  the  average,  with  bare  dirt  and  cinders 
about  it,  and  what  had  once  been  a  picket-fence,  now  fall- 
ing apart  and  being  used  for  stove-wood.  The  windows 
were  cracked  and  broken,  and  upon  the  roof  were  signs  of 
leaks  that  had  been  crudely  patched. 

"  May  I  come  ?  "  he  made  haste  to  ask  again  —  so  that 
he  would  not  seem  to  look  too  critically  at  her  home. 


28  KING  GOAL 

"  Perhaps  ye  may,"  said  the  girl,  as  she  picked  up  the 
clothes  basket.  He  stepped  forward,  -offering  to  carry  it, 
but  she  did  not  give  it  up.  Holding  it  tight,  and  looking 
him  defiantly  in  the  face,  she  said,  ;"  Ye  may  come,  but 
ye'll  not  find  it  a  happy  place  to  visit,  Mr.  Smith.  Ye'll 
hear  soon  enough  from  the  neighbours." 

"  I  don't  think  I  know  any  of  your  neighbours,"  said  lie. 

There  was  sympathy  in  his  voice ;  but  her  look  was  no 
less  defiant.  "  Ye'll  hear  about  it,  Mr.  Smith;  but  ye'll 
hear  also  that  I  hold  me  head  up.  And  'tis  not  so  easy 
to  do  that  in  North  Valley." 

"  You  don't  like  the  place  ?  "  he  asked ;  and  he  was 
amazed  by  the  effect  of  this  question,  which  was  merely 
polite.  It  was  as  if  a  storm  cloud  had  swept  over  the 
girl's  face.  ;  "  I  hate  it !  ?Tis  a  place  of  fear  and  devils !  " 

He  hesitated  a  moment ;  then,  "  Will  you  tell  me  what 
you  mean  by 'that  when  I  come  ?  " 

But  "  Red  Mary "  was  winsome  again.  "  When  ye 
come,  Mr.  Smith,  I'll  not  be  entertaining  ye  with  troubles. 
I'll  put  on  me  company  manner,  and  we'll  go  put  for  a 
nice  walk,  if  ye  please." 

All  the  way  as  he  walked  back  to  Reminitsky's  to  sup- 
per, Hal  thought  about  this  girl ;  not  merely  her  pleasant- 
ness to  the  eye,  so  unexpected  in  this  place  of  desolation, 
but  her  personality,  which  baffled  him  — -  the  pain  that 
seemed  always  just  beneath  the  surface  of  her  thoughts, 
the  fierce  pride  which  flashed  out  at  the  slightest  sugges- 
tion of  sympathy,  the  way  she  had  of  brightening  when 
he  spoke  the  language  of  metaphor,  however  trite.  How 
had  she  come  to  know  about  poetry-books  ?  He  wanted 
to  know  more  about  this  miracle  of  Nature  —  this  wild 
rose  blooming  on  a  bare  mountain-side! 


§0.     There  was  one  of  Mary  Burke's  remarks  upon 
which  Hal   soon  got   light  —  her   statement   that   North 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  29 

Valley  was  a  place  of  fear.  He  listened  to  the  tales  of 
these  underworld  men,  until  it  carne  so  that  he  shuddered 
with  dread  each  time  that  he  went  down  in-  the  cage. 

There  was  a  wire-haired  and  almond  eyed.  Korean, 
named  Cho,  a  "  rope-rider  "  in  Hal's  part  of  the  mine. 
He  was  one  of  those  who  had  charge  of  the  long  trains 
of  ears,  called  "  trips/'  which  were  hauled  through  die 
main  passage-ways;  the  name •"  rope-rider  "  came  froml 
the  fact  that  ho  sat  011  the  heavy  iron  ,1'ing  to  which  the; 
rope  was  attached.  He  invited  Hal  to  a  seat  with  hiiUj 
and  Hal  accepted,  at  peril  of  his  job  as  well  as  of  his 
limbs..  Cho  had  picked  up  what  he  fondly  thought  was 
English,  .and  now  and  then  one  could  understand  a  word., 
He  pointed  upon  the  ground,  and  shouted  above  the  rattle 
of  the  cars:;  >"  Big  dust!"  Hal  saw  that  the  ground 
was  covered  with  six  inches  of  coal-dust,  while  on  the  old 
disused  walls  one  could  write  his  name  in  it.  "  Much 
blow-up  1"  said  the  rope-rider;  and  when  the  last  empty 
cars  had  been  shunted  off  into  the  working-rooms,  and  he 
was  waiting  to  make  up  a  return  ."  trip,"  he  laboured 
with  gestures  to  explain  what  he  meant.  "  Load  cars. 
Bang!  Bust  like  hell!" 

Hal  knew  that  the  mountain  air  in  this  region  was  fa- 
mous for  its .  dryness;  he  learned  now  that  the  quality 
which  meant  life  to  invalids  from  every  part  of  the  world 
meant  death  .to  those  who  toiled  to  keep  the  invalids  warm. 
J  )riveii  through  the  mines  by  great  fans,  this  air  took  out 
every  particle  of  moisture,  and  left  coal  dust  so  thick  and 
dry  that  there  were  fatal  explosions  from  the  mere  friction 
of  loading-shovels.  So  it  happened  that  these  mines  were 
killing  several  times  as  many  men  as  other  mines  through1 
out  the  country. 

Was  there  no  remedy  for  this,  Hal  asked,  talking  with 
one  of  his  mule-drivers,  Tim  Rafferty,  the  evening  after 
his  ride  with  Cho.  There  was  a  remedy,  said  Tim  —  the 
law  required  sprinkling  the  mines  with  "  adobe-dust " ; 


30  KING  COAL 

and  once  in  Tim's  life,  lie  remembered  this  law's  being 
obeyed.  There  had  come  some  "  big  fellows  "  inspecting 
things,  and  previous  to  their  visit  there  had  been  an  elabo- 
rate campaign  of  sprinkling.  But  that  had  been  several 
years  ago,  and  now  the  apparatus  was  stored  away,  nobody 
knew  where,  and  one  heard  nothing  about  sprinkling. 

-It  was  the  same  with  precautions  against  gas.  The 
North  Valley  mines  were  'especially  "  gassy/7  it  appeared. 
In  these  old  rambling  passages  one  smelt  a  stink  as  of  all 
the  rotten  eggs  in  all  the  barn-yards  of  the  world ;  and  this 
sulphuretted  hydrogen  was  the  least  dangerous  of  the  gases 
against  which  a  miner  had  to  contend.  There  was  the 
dreaded,  "choke-damp,"  which  was  odourless,  and  heavier 
than  air.  Striking  into  soft,  greasy  coal,  one  would  open 
a  pocket  of  this  gas,  a  deposit  laid  up  for 'countless  ages, 
awaiting  its  predestined  victim.  A  man  might  sink  to 
sleep  as  he  lay  at  work,  and  if  his  "  buddy/7  or  helper, 
happened  to  be  out  of  sight,  and  to  delay  a  minute  too 
long,  it  would  be  all  over  with  the  man.  And  there  was 
the  still  more  dreaded  "  fire-damp,"  which  might  wreck  a 
whole  mine,  and  kill  scores  and  even  hundreds  of  men. 

Against  these  dangers  there  was  a  "  fire-boss,"  whose 
duty  was  to  go  through  the  mine,  testing  for  gas,  and  mak- 
ing sure  that  the  ventilating-course  was  in  order,  and  the 
fans  working  properly.  The  •"  fire-boss  "  was  supposed 
to  make  his  rounds  in  the  early  morning,  and  the  law 
specified  that  no  one  should  go  to  work  till  he  had  certi- 
fied that. all  was  safe.  But  what  if  the  "  fire-boss  "  over- 
slept himself,  or  happened  to  be  drunk?  It  was  too  much 
to  expect  thousands  of  dollars  to  be  lost  for  such  a  reason. 
So  sometimes  one  saw  men  ordered  to  their  work,  and 
.sent  down  grumbling  and  cursing.  Before  many  hours 
some  of  them  would  be  prostrated  with  headache,  and 
begging  to  be  taken  out;  and  perhaps  the  superintendent 
wo'uld  not  let  them  out,  because  if  a  few  came,  the  rest 
would  get  scared  arid  want  to  come  also. 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  31 

Once,  only  last  year,  there  had  been  an  accident  of  that 
sort.  A  young  mule-driver,  a  Croatian,  told  Hal  about 
it  while  they  sat  munching  the  contents  of  their  dinner- 
pails.  The  first  cage£load  of  men  had  gone  down  into  the 
mine,  sullenly  protesting;  and  soon  afterwards  some  one 
had  taken  down  a  naked  light,  and  there  had  been  an 
explosion  which  had  sounded  like  the  blowing  up  of  the 
inside  of  the  world.  Eight  men  had  been  killed,  the  force 
of  the  explosion  being  so  great  that  some  of  the  bodies 
had  been  wedged  between  the  shaft  wall  and  the  cage,  and 
it  had  been  necessary  to  cut  them  to  pieces  to  get  them 
out.  It  was  them  Japs  that  were  to  blame,  vowed  Hal's 
informant.  They  hadn't  ought  to  turn  them  loose  in  coal 
mines,  for  the  devil  himself 'couldn't  keep  a  Jap  from 
sneaking  off  to  get  a  smoke. 

So  Hal  understood  how  North  Valley  was  a  place  .of 
fear.  What  tales  the  old  chambers  of  these  mines  could 
have  told,  if  they  had  had  voices!  Hal  watched  the 
throngs  pouring  in  to  their  labours,  and  reflected  that 
according  to  the  statisticians  of  the  government  eight  or 
nine  of  every  thousand  of  them  were  destined  to  die  violent 
"deaths  before  a  year  was  out,  and  some  thirty  more  would 
be  badly  injured.  And  they  knew  this,  they  knew  it  bet- 
ter than  all  the  statisticians  of  the  government ;  yet  they 
went  to  their  tasks!  Reflecting  upon 'this,  Hal  was  full 
of  wonder.  What  was  the  force  that  kept  men  at  such 
a  task?  'Was  it  a  sense  of  duty?  Did  they  understand 
that  society  had  to  have  coal  and  that  some  one  had  to  do 
the  "  dirty  work  "  of  providing  it  ?  Did  they  have  a  vision 
of  a  future,  great  and  wonderful,  which  was  to  grow  out 
of  their  ill-requited  toil?  Of  were  they  simply  fool's  or 
cowards,  submitting  blindly,  because  they  had  not  the  wit 
nor  the  will  to  do  otherwise  ?  Curiosity  held  him,  he 
wanted  to  understand  the  inner  souls  of  these  silent 'and 
patient  armies  which  through  the  ages  have  surrendered 
their  lives  to  other  men's  control. 


32  KING  COAL 

§  10.  Hal  was  coming  to  know  these  people ;  to  see 
them  no  longer  as  a  mass,  to  be  despised  or  pitied  in  bulk, 
but  as  individuals,  with  individual  temperaments  and 
problems,  exactly  like  people  in  the  world  of  the  sunlight. 
Mary  Burke  and  Tim  Kaft'erty,  Cho  the  Korean  and 
Madvik  the  Croatian  —  one  by  one  these  individualities 
etched  themselves  into  the  foreground  of  Hal's  picture, 
making  it  a  thing  of  life,  moving  him  to  sympathy  and 
fellowship.  Some  of  these  people,  to  be  sure,  were 
stunted  and  dulled  to  a  sordid  ugliness  of  soul  and  body  — 
but  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  them  were  young,  and  had 
the  light  of  hope  in  their  hearts,  and  the  spark  of  re- 
bellion. 

There  was  "Andy,"  a  boy  of  Greek  parentage;  Aii- 
drokulos  was  his  right  name  — -  but  it  was  too  much  to 
expect  any  one  to  get  that  straight  in  a  coal-camp/  Hal 
noticed  him  at  the  store,  and  was  struck  by  his  beautiful 
features,  and  the  mournful  look  in  his  big  black  eyes. 
They  got  to  talking,  and  Andy  made  the  discovery  that 
°Hal  had  not  spent  all  his  time  in  coal-camps,  but  had  seen 
the  great  wrorld.  It  was  pitiful,  the  excitement  that  came 
into  his  voice;  he  was  yearning  for  life,  with  its  joys  and^ 
adventures  —  and  it  was  his  destiny  to  sit.  ten  hours  a 
day  by  the  side  of  a  chute,  with  the  rattle  of  coal  in  his 
ears  and  the  dust  of  coal  in  his  nostrils,  picking  out  slate 
with  his  fingers.  lie  was  one  of  many  scores  of  "  breaker-' 
boys." 

"  Why  don't  you  go  away  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  Christ !     How  I  get  away  ?     Got  mother,  two  sisters." 

"And  your  father?  "  So  Hal  made  the  discovery  that 
Andy's  father  had  been  one  of  those  men  whose  bodies 
had  had  to  be  cut  to  pieces  to  get  them  out  of  the  shaft. 
Now  the  son  was  chained  to  the  father's  place,  until  his 
time  too^should  come ! 

"  Don't  want  to  be  miner !  "  cried  the  boy.  "  Don't 
want  to  get  kil-lid !  " 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  33 

He  began  to  ask,  timidly,  what  Hal  thought  he  could  do 
if  he  were  to  run  away  from  his  family  and  try  his  luck 
in  the  world  outside.  Hal,  striving  to  remember  where 
he  had  seen  olive-skinned  Greeks  with  big  black  eyes  in 
this  beautiful  land  of  the  free,  could  hold  out  no  better 
prospect  than  a  shoe-shining  parlour,  or  the  wiping  out  of 
wash-bowls  in  a  hotel-lavatory,  handing  over  the  tips  to 
a  fat  padrone. 

Andy  had  been  to  school,  and  had  learned  to  read  Eng- 
lish, and  the  teacher  had  loaned  him  books  and  magazines 
with  wonderful  pictures  in  them;  now  he  wanted  more 
than  pictures,  he  wanted  the  things  which  they  portrayed. 
So  Hal  came  face  to  face  with  one  of  the  difficulties  of 
mine-operators.  They  gathered  a  population  of  humble 
serfs,  selected  from  twenty  or  thirty  races  of  hereditary 
bondsmen;  but  owing  to  the  absurd  American  custom  of 
having  public-schools,  the  children  of  this  population 
learned  to  speak  English,  and  even  to  read  it.  So  they 
became  too  good  for  their  lot  in  life ;  and  then  a  wander- 
ing agitator  .would  get  in,  and  all  of  a  sudden  there  would 
be  hell.  Therefore  in  every  coal-camp  had  to  be  another 
kind  of  "  fire-boss,"  whose  duty  it  was  to  guard  against 
another  kind  of  explosions  —  not  of  carbon  monoxide,  but 
of  the  human  soul. 

The  immediate  duties  of  this  office  in  North  Valley  de- 
volved upon  Jeff  Cotton,  the  camp-marshal.  He  was  not 
at  all  what  one  would  have  expected  from  a  person  of  his 
trade  —  lean  and  rather  distinguished-looking,  a  man  who 
in  evening  clothes  might  have  passed  for  a  diplomat.  But 
his  mouth  would  become  ugly  when  he  was  displeased,  and 
he  carried  a  gun  with  six  notches  upon  it ;  also  he  wore 
a  deputy-sherifFs  badge,  to  give  him  immunity  for  other 
notches  he  might  wish  to  add.  When  Jeff  Cotton  came 
near,  any  man  who  was  explosive  went  off  to  be  explosive 
by  himself.  So  there  was  "  order  "  in  North  Valley,  and 
it  was  only  on  Saturday  and  Sunday  nights,  when  the 


34  KING.  COAL 

drunks  had  to  be  suppressed,  or  on  Monday  mornings  when 
they  had  to  be  haled  forth  and  kicked  to  their  work,  that 
one  realised  upon  wnai  basis  this  "  order  "  rested. 

Besides  Jeff  Cotton,  and  his  assistant,  "'Bud"  Adams, 
who  wore  badges,  and  were  known,  there  were  other  as- 
sistants who  wore  no  badges,  and  were  not  supposed  to 
be  known.  Coming  up  in  the  cage  one  evening,  Hal  made 
some  remark  to  the  Croatian  mule-driver,  Madvik,  about 
the  high  price  of  company-store  merchandise,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  get  a  sharp  kick  011  the  ankle.  Afterwards,  as 
they  were  on  their  way  to  supper,  Madvik  gave  him  the 
reason.  "  Red-faced  feller,  Qua.  Look  out  for  him  — 
company  spotter.". 

"  Is  that  so  ?  "  said  Hal,  with  interest.  "  How  do  you 
know?" 

"  I  know.     Everybody  know." 

"  He  don't  look  like  he  had  much  sense,"  said  Hal  — - 
who  had  got  his  idea  of  detectives  from  Sherlock  Holmes. 

"  ISTo  take  much  sense.  Go  pit-boss,  say,  i  Joe  feller 
talk  too  much.  Say  store  rob  him.'  Any  damn  fool  do 
that.  Hey?" 

"  To  be  sure,"  admitted  Hal.  "  And  the  coihpany  pays 
him  for  it  ?  " 

"Pit-boss  pay  him.  Maybe  give  him  drink,  maybe  two 
bits.  Then  pit-boss  come  to  you :  '  You  shoot  your 
mouth  off  too  much,  feller.  Grit  the  hell  out  of  here!' 
See  ?  " 

Hal  saw. 

"  So  you  go  down  canyon.  Then  maybe  you  go  'nother 
mine.  Boss  say,  i  Where  you  work?'  You  say  "North 
Valley.'  He  say,  '  What  your  name  ? '  You  say,  '(  Joe 
Smith.'  He  say,  'Wait.'  He  go  in,  look  at  paper;  he 
come  out/ say,  '  No  job!'  You  say,  '  Why  not?'  He 
say,  •  Shoot  off  your  mouth  too  much,  feller.  Git  the  hell 
out  of  here!'  /See?" 

"  You  mean  a  black-list,"  said  Hal. 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  35 

•"Sure,  black-list.     Maybe  telephone,  find  out  all -about 
you.     You  do  anything  bad,  like  talk  union  "—  Madvik 
had  dropped  his  voice  and  whispered  the  word  "  union  "• 
"  they  send  your  picture—  don't  get  job  nowhere  in  state. 
How  you  like  that  ?" 


§11.  Before  long  Hal  had  a  chance  to  see  this  sys- 
tem of  espionage  at  work,  and  he  began  to  understand 
something  of  the  force  which  kept  these  silent  and  patient 
armies  at  their  tasks.  On  a  Sunday  morning  he  was 
strolling  with  his  mule-driver  friend  Tim  Rafferty,  a 
kindly  lad  with  a  .pair  of  dreamy  blue  eyes  in  his  coal- 
smutted  face.  They  came  to  Tim's  home,  and  he  invited 
Hal  to  come  iri  and  meet  his  family.  The  father  was  a 
bowed  and  toil-worn  man,  but  with  tremendous  strength 
in  his  solid  frame,  the  product  of  many  generations  of 
labour  in  coal-mines.  He  was  known  as  "  Old  Rafferty," 
despite  the  fact  that  he  was  well  under- fifty.  JETe  had 
been  a  pit-boy  at  the  age  of  nine,  and  he  showed  Hal  ,a 
faded  leather  album  with  pictures  of  his  ancestors  in  the 
"  oul'  country  ?' —  men'With  sad,  deeply  lined  faces,  sitting 
very  stiff  and  solemn  •  to  have  their  presentments  made 
permanent  for  posterity.  ' 

The  .mother  of  the  family  was  a  gaunt,  grey-haired 
woman,  with  no  teeth,  but  with  a  warm  heart.  Hal  took 
to  her,  because  her  home  was  clean;  he  sat  on  the  family 
door-step,  -  amid  a  crowd  of  little  Rafferties  with  newly- 
washed  Sunday  faoeSj  and  fascinated  them  with  tales  of 
adventures  cribbed  from  Clark  Russell  and  Captain  Mayne 
Reid.  As  a  reward  he  was  invited/to  stay  for  dinner,  and 
had  a  clean  knife  and  fork,  and  a  clean  plate  of  steaming 
hot  potatoes,  with  two  slices  of  salt  pork  on  the  side. 
It  was  so  wonderful  that  he  forthwith  inquired.,  if  he  might 
forsake  his  company  boarding-house  and  come  and  board 
with  them. 


36  KING  COAL 

'Mrs,  Rafferty  opened  wide  her  eyes.  "Sure/'  ex- 
claimed she,  "  do  you  think  you'd  be  let?  " 

"Why  not?"  asked  Hal. 

"  Sure,  't  would  be  a  bad  example  for  the  others/' 

"  Do  you  mean  I  have  to  board  at  Reminitsky's  ?  " 

"  There  be  six  company  boardin'-houses,"  said  the 
woman. 

"And  what  would  they  do  if  I  came  to  you?  " 

"First  you'd  get  a  hint,  and  then  you'd  go  down  the 
canyon,  and  maybe  us  after  ye." 

"But  there's  lots  of  people  have  boarders  in  shanty- 
town,"  objected  Hal. 

"  Oh  !  Them  wops !  Nobody  counts  them  —  they  live 
any  way  they  happen  to  fall.  But  you  started  at  Rem- 
initsky's, and  't  would  not  be  healthy  for  them  that  took 
ye  away." 

"I  see,"  laughed  Hal.  "There  seem  to  be  a  lot  of 
unhealthy' things  hereabouts." 

"  Sure  there*  be !  They  sent  down  Nick  Ammons  be- 
cause his  wife  bought  milk  down  the  canyon.  They  had 
a  sick  baby,  and  it's  not  much  you  get  in  this  thin  stuff 
at  the  store.  They  put  chalk  in  it,  I  think ;  any  way,  you 
can  see  somethin'  white  in  the-  bottom." 

"  So  you  have  to  trade  at  the  store,  too !  " 

"  I  thought  ye  said  ye'd  worked  in  coal-mines,"  put  in 
Old  Rafferty,  who  had  been  a  silent  listener. 

"So  I  have,"  said  Hal.  "  But  it  wasn't  quite  that 
bad. 

"Sure,"  said  Mrs.  Rafferty,  "  I'd-like  to  know  where 
'twas  then  • —  in  this  country.  Me  and  me  old  man  spent 
weary  years  a-liuntin'." 

Thus  far  the: conversation  had  proceeded  naturally  ;  but 

suddenly  it  was  as  if  a  shadow  passed  over  it  —  a  shadow 

of  fear.     Hal  saw  Old  Rafferty ;look  at  his  wife,  and  frown 

:  and  make  signs  to  her.     After  all,  what  did  they  know. 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  37 

about  this  handsome  •  young  stranger,  who  talked  so  glibly, 
and  had  been  in  so  many  parts  of  the  world  ? 

"  'Tis  not  complainin'  we'd  be/'  said  the  old  man. 

And  his  wife  made  haste  to  add,-"  If  they  let  peddlers 
and  the  like  of  them  come  in,  'twould  be  no  end  to  it,  I 
suppose.  We  find  they  treat  us  here  as  well  as  any- 
where." 

"  'Tis  no  joke,  the  life  of  workin'  men,  wherever  ye  try 
it,"  added  the  other;  and  when  young  Tim  started  to 
express  an  opinion,  they  shut  him  up  with  such  evident 
anxiety  that  Hal's  heart  ached  for  them,  and  he  made 
haste  to  change  the  subject. 


§  12.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  Sunday  Hal  went 
to  pay  his  promised  call  upon  Mary  Burke".  She  opened 
the  front  door  of  the  cabin  to  let  him  in,'  and  even  by  the 
dim  rays  of  the  little  kerosene  lamp,  there  came  to  him 
an  impression  of  cheerfulness.  "Hello,"  she  said  —  just 
as  she  had  said  it  when  he  had  slid  down  the  mountain 
into  the  family  wash.  He  followed  her  into  the  room,  and 
saw  that  the  impression  he  had  got  of  cheerfulness  came 
from  Mary  herself.  How  bright  and  fresh  she  looked ! 
The  old  blue  calico,  which  had  not  been  entirely  clean, 
was  newly  laundered  now,  and  on  the  shoulder  where  the 
rent  had  been  was  a  neat  patch  of  unf aded  blue. 

There  being  only  three  rooms  in  Mary's  home,  two  of 
these  necessarily  bed-rooms,  she  entertained  her  company 
in  the  kitchen.  The  room  was  bare,  Hal  saw  —  there  was 
not  even  so  much  as  a  clock  by  way  of  ornament.  The 
only  .charm  the  girl  had  been  able  to  give  to  it,  in  prepa- 
ration for  company,  was  that  of  cleanness.  The  board 
floor  had  been  newly  sanded  and  scrubbed ;  the  kitchen 
table  also  had  been  scrubbed,  and  the  kettle  on  the  stove, 
and  the  cracked  tea-pot  and  bowls  on  the  shelf.  Mary's 


38  KING  COAL 

little  brother  and  sister  were  in  the  room:  Jennie^  ;a 
dark-eyed,  dark-haired  little  girl,,  frail,  with  a  sad,  rather 
frightened  face;  and  Tommie,  a  round  headed  youngster, 
like  a  thousand  other  round  headed  and  freckle-faced  boys. 
Both  of  them  were  now  sitting  very  straight  in  their 
chairs,  staring  at  the  visitor  with  a  certain  resentment,  he 
thought.  He  suspected  that  they  had  been  included  in 
the  general  scrubbing.  Inasmuch  *as  it  had  been  uncer- 
tain just  when  the  visitor  would  come,  they  must  have 
been  required  to  do  this  every  night,  and  he  could  imagine 
family  disturbances,  with  arguments  possibly  not  alto- 
gether complimentary  to  Mary's  new  "  feller." 

There  seemed  to  be  a  certain  uneasiness  in  the  place. 
Mary  did  not  invite  her  company  to  a  seat,  but  stood  irreso- 
lute; and  after  Hal  had  ventured  a  couple  of  friendly 
remarks  to  the  children,  she  said,  abruptly,  •"  Shall  we 
be  takin7  that  walk  that  we  spoke  of,  Mr;  Smith  ?  " 

"  Delighted !  "  said  Hal ;  and  while  she  pinned  on  her 
hat  before  the  broken  mirror  on  the  shelf,  he  smiled  at  the 
children  and  quoted  two  lines  from  his  Harrigan  song  — 

"  Oh,  Mary-Jane,  come  out  in  the  lane, 
The  moon  is  a-shinin'  in  the  old  pecan!  " 

Tommie  and  Jennie  were  too  shy  to  answer,  but  Mary 
exclaimed,  "  'Tis  in  a  tin-can  ye  see  it  shmin'  here !  " , 

They  went  out.  In  the  soft  summer  night  it  was  pleas- 
ant to  stroll  under  the  moon  —  especially  when  they  had 
come  to  the  remoter  parts  of  the  village,  where  there  were 
not  so  many  weary  people  on  door-steps  and  children  play- 
ing noisily.  There  were  .other  young  couples  walking 
here,  under  the  same  moon ;  the  hardest  day's  toil  could 
not  so  sap  their,  energies  that  they  did  not  feel  the  spell 
of  this  soft  summer  night. 

Hal,  being  tired,  was  content  to  stroll  ;and  enjoy  the 
stillness;  but  Mary  Burke  sought  information  about  the 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  39 

mysterious  young  man  she  was  with.  "  Ye've  not  worked 
long  in  coal-mines,  Mr.  Smith  ?  "  she  remarked. 

Hal  was  a  trifle  disconcerted.  "  How  did  you  find  that 
out?" 

•"  Ye  don't  look  it  —  ye  .don't  talk  it.  Ye're  not  like 
anybody  or  anything  around  here.  I  don't  know  how  to 
say  it,  but  ye  make  me  think  more  of  the  poetry-books." 

Flattered  as  Hal  was  by  this  naive  confession,  he -did 
not  want  to  talk  of  the  mystery  of  himself.  He  took 
refuge  in  a  question  about  the  "  poetry-books."  "I've 
read  some,"  said  the  girl;  "niore  than  ye'd  have  thought, 
perhaps."  This  with  a  flash  of  her.  defiance. 

He  asked  more  questions,  and  learned  that. she,  like  the 
Greek  boy,  ."  Andy,"  had  come  under  the  influence  of  that 
disturbing  American  institution,  the  public-school;  she 
had  learned  to  read,  and  the  pretty  young  teacher  had 
helped  her,  lending  her  books  and  magazines.  Thus  she 
had  been  given  a  key  to  a  treasure-house,  a  magic  carpet 
on  which  to  travel  over  the  world.  These  similes  Mary 
herself  used  —  for  the  Arabian  Nights  had  been  one  of 
the  books  that  were  loaned  to  her.  On  rainy  days  she 
would  hide  behind  the  sofa,  reading  at  a  spot  where  the 
light  crept  in  —  so  that  she  might  be  sa.fe  from  small 
brothers  and  sisters! 

Joe  Smith  had  read  these  same  books,  it  appeared ;  and 
this  seemed  remarkable  to  Mary,  for  books  cost  money 
and  were  hard  to  get.  She  explained  how  she  had  searched 
the  camp  for  new  magic  carpets,  finding  a  "  poetry-book  " 
by  Longfellow,  and  a  book  of  American  history,:  and  a 
story  called  "David  Copperfield,"  and  last  and  strangest 
of  all,  another  story  called  "Pride  and  Prejudice."  A 
curious  freak  of  fortune  —  the .  prim  and  sentimentally 
quivering  Jane  Austen  in  a  coal-camp  in.  a  far  Western 
wilderness !  An  adventure  for  Jane,  as  well  as  for  Mary  ! 

What  had  Mary  made  of  it,  Hal  wondered.  Had, she 
revelled,  shop-girl  fashion,  in  scenes  of  pallid  ease?  He 


40  KING  COAL 

learned  that  what  she  had  made  of  it  was  despair.  This 
world  outside,  with  its  freedom  and  cleanness,  its  people 
living  gracious  and  worth-while  lives,  was  not  for  her ;  she 
was  chained  to  a  scrub-pail  in  a  coal-camp.  Things  had 
got  so  much  worse  since  the  death  of  her  mother,  she  said. 
Her  voice  had  become  dull  and  hard  —  Hal  thought  that 
he  had  never  heard  a  young  voice  express  such  hopelessness. 

"  You've  never  been  anywhere  but  here  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  been  in  two  other  camps,"  she  said  — "  first  the 
Gordon,  and  then  East  Run.  But  they're  all  alike." 

"  But  you've  been  down  to  the  towns  ?  " 

"  Only  for  a  day,  once  or  twice  a  year.  Once  I  was  in 
Sheridan,  and  in  a  church  I  heard  a  lady  sing." 

She  stopped  for  a  moment,  lost  in  this  memory.  Then 
suddenly  her  voice  changed  —  and  he  could  imagine  in 
the  darkness  that  she  had  tossed  her  head  defiantly.  "  I'll 
not  be  entertainin'  company  with  my  tr6ubles !  Ye  know 
how  tiresome  that  is  when  ye  hear  it  from  somebody  else 
—  like  my  next-door  neighbour,  Mrs.  Zamboni.  D'  ye 
know  her  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Hal. 

"  The  poor  old  lady  has  troubles  enough,  God  knows. 
Her  man's  not  much  good  —  he's  troubled  with  the  drink ; 
and  she's  got  eleven  childer,  and  that's  too  many  for  one 
woman.  Don't  ye  think  so  ?  " 

.   She  asked  this  with  a  naivete  which  made  Hal  laugh. 
'"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  do." 

"  Well,  I  think  people'd  help  her  more  if  she'd  not 
complain  so !  And  half  of  it  in  the  Slavish  language,  that 
a  body  can' t  understand!  "  So  Mary  began  to  tell  funny 
things  about  Mrs.  Zamboni  and  her  other  polyglot  neigh- 
bours, imitating  their  murdering  of  the  Irish  dialect. 
Hal  thought  her  humour  was  naive  and  delightful,  and 
he  led  her  on  to  more  cheerful  gossip  during  the  remainder 
of  their  walk. 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  41 

§  13.  But  then,  as  they  were  on  their  way  home, 
tragedy  fell  upon  them.  Hearing  a  step  behind  them, 
Mary  turned  and  looked ;  then  catching  Hal  by  the  arm, 
she  drew  him  into  the  shadows  at  the  side,  whispering  to 
him  to  be  silent.  The  ^ent  figure  of  a  man  went  past 
them,  lurching  from  side  to  side. 

When,  he  had  turned  and  gone  into  the  house,  Mary 
said,  "  Ira  my  father.  He's  ugly  when  he's  like  that." 
And  Hal  could  hear  her  quick  breathing  in  the  darkness. 

So  that  was  Mary's  trouble  —  the  difficulty  in  her  home 
life  to  which  she  had  referred  at  their  first  meeting! 
Hal  understood  many  things  in  a  flash  —  why  her  home 
was  bare  of  ornament,  and  why  she  did  not  invite  her 
company  to  sit  down.  He  stood  silent,  not  knowing  what 
to  say.  Before  he  could  find  the  word,  Mary  burst  out, 
"  Oh,  how  I  hate  O'Callahan,  that  sells  the  'stuff  to  my 
'father!  His  home  with  plenty  to  eat  in  it,  and  his  wife 
dressin'  in  silk  and  goin'  down  to  mass  every  Sunday, 
and  thinkin'  herself  too  good  for  a  common  miner's  daugh- 
ter! Sometimes  I  think  I'd  like  to  kill  them  both.'7 

"  That  wouldn't  help  much,"  Hal  ventured. 

"  No,  I  know  —  thcre'd  only  be  some  other  one  in  his 
place.  Ye  got  to  do  more  than  that,  to  change  things 
here.  Ye  got  to  get  after  them  that  make  money  out  of 
O'Callahan." 

So  Mary's  mind  was  groping  for  causes!  Hal  had 
thought  her  excitement  was  due  to  humiliation,  or  to  fear 
of  a  scene  of  violence  when  she  reached  home ;  but  she  was 
thinking  of  the  deeper  aspects  of  this  terrible  drink  prob- 
lem. There  was  still  enough  unconscious  snobbery  in  Hal 
Warner  for  him  to  be  surprised  at  this  phenomenon  in  a 
common  miner's  daughter ;  and  so,  as  at  their  first  meeting, 
his  pity  was  turned  to  intellectual  interest. 

"  They'll  stop  the  drink  business  altogether  some  day," 
ho  said.  He  had  not  known  that  he  was  a  Prohibitionist; 
he  had  become  one  suddenly! 


42  KING  COAL 

•» 

"  Well,"  she  answered,  "  they'd  best  stop  it  soon,  if  they 
don't  want  to  be  too  late.  'Tis  a  sight  to  make  your  heart 
sick  to  see  the  young  lads  comin'  home  staggering  too 
drunk  even  to  fight." 

Hal  had  not  had  time  to  se&  much  of  this  aspect  of 
North  Valley.  "  They  sell  to  boys  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Sure/  who's  16  care?  A  boy's  money's  as  good  as  a 
man's."  . 

"  But  I  should  think  the  company  — " 

"The  company  lets  the  saloon-buildm' — that's  all  the 
company  cares." 

"  But  they  must  care  something  about  the  efficiency  of 
their  hands !  " 

"  Sure,  there's  plenty  more  where  they  come  from. 
When  ye  can't  work,  they  fire  ye,  arid  that's  all  there  is 
to  it." 

"  And  is  it  so  easy  to  get  skilled  men  ?" 

"  It  don't  take  much  skill  to  get  out  coal.  The  skill  is 
in  keepin'  your  bones  whole  —  and  if  you  can  stand 
breakin*  'em,  the  company  can  stand  it." 

They  had  come  to  the*  little  cabin.  Mary  stood  for  a 
moment  in  silence.  "  I'm  talkin'  bitter  again ! :?'  she  ex- 
claimed suddenly.  "And  I  promised  ye  me  company 
manner !  But  things  keep  happening  to  set  me  off."  And 
she  turned  abruptly  and  ran  into  the  house.  Hal  stood 
for  a  moment  wondering  if  she  would :  return ;  then,  de- 
ciding that  she  had  meant  that  as  good  night,  he  went 
slowly  up  the  street. 

He  fought  against  a  mood  of  real  depression,  the  first 
he  had  known  since  his  coming  to  North  Valley.  He  had 
managed  so  far  to  keep  a  certain  degree  of  aloofness,  that 
he  might  see  this  industrial  world  without  prejudice.  But 
to-night  his  pity  for  Mary  had  involved  hiin  more  deeply. 
To  be  sure,  he  might  be  able  to  help  her,  to  find  her  work 
in  some  less  crushing  environment ;  but  his  mind  went  on 
to  the  question  —  how  many  girls  might  there  be  in  miri- 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  43 

ing-camps,  young  and  eager,  hungering  for  life,  but 
crushed  by  poverty,  and  by  the  burden  of  the  drink 
problem  ? 

A  man  walked  past  Hal,  greeting  him  in  the  semi-dark- 
ness with  a  nod,  and  a  motion  of  the  hand.  '  It  was  the 
Kevereud  Spragg,  the  gentleman  who  was  officially  com- 
missioned to  combat  the  demon  rum  in  North  Valley. 
Hal  had  been  to  the  little  white  church  the  Sunday  before, 
and  heard  the  Reverend  Spragg  preach  a  doctrinal  sermon, 
in  which  the  blood  of  the  lamb  was  liberally  sprinkled, 
and  the  congregation  heard  where  and  how  they  were  to 
receive  compensation  for  the  distresses  they  endured  in 
this  vale  of  tears. 

What  a  mockery  it  seemed !  Once,  indubitably,  people 
had  believed  such  doctrines ;  they  had  been  willing  to  go 
to  the  stake  for  them.  But  now  nobody  went  to-  the  .stake 
for  them  —  on  the  contrary,  the  company  compelled  every 
worker  to  contribute  out  of-  his  scanty  earnings  towards 
the  preaching  of  them.  How  could  the  most  ignorant  of 
zealots  confront  such  an  arrangement  without  suspicion  of 
his  own  piety  ?  Somewhere  at  the  head  of  the  great  divi- 
dend-paying machine  that  was  called .  the  General  Fuel 
Company  must  be  some  devilish  intelligence  that  had 
worked  it  all  out,  that  had  given  the  orders  to  its  ecclesi- 
astical staff:  "  We  want  the  present  —  we  leave  you  the 
future !  We  want  the  bodies  —  we  leave  you  the  souls ! 
Teach, them  what  you  will  about  heaven  —  so  long  as  you 
let  us  plunder  them  on  ea,rth !  ". 

In 'accordance  with  this  devil's  program,  the  Reverend 
Spragg  might  denounce  the  demon  rum,  but  he  said  noth- 
ing about  dividends  based  on  the  renting  of  rum-shops, 
nor  about  local  politicians  maintained  by  company  con- 
tributions, plus  the  profits  of  wholesale  liquor.  He  said 
nothing  about  the  conclusions  of  modern  hygiene,  concern- 
ing over-work  as  a  cause  of  the  craving  for  alcohol ;  the 
phrase  "  industrial  drinking/'  it  seemed,  was  not  known 


4-i  KING  COAL 

in  General  Fuel  Company  theology!  In  fact,  when  you 
listened  to  such  a  sermon,  you  would  never  have  guessed 
that  the  hearers  of  it  had  physical  bodies  at  all ;  certainly 
you  would  never  have  guessed  that  the  preacher  had  a 
body,  which  was  nourished  by 'food  produced  by  the  over- 
worked and  under-nourished  wage-slaves  whom  he  taught ! 


§  14.  For  the  most  part  the  victims  of  this  system 
were  cowed  and  spoke  of  their  wrongs  only  in  whispers; 
but  there  was  one  place  in  the  camp,  Hal  found,  where 
they  could  not  keep  silence,  where  their  sense  of  outrage 
battle3  with  their  fear.  This"  place  was  the  solar  plexus 
of  the  mine-organism,  the  centre  of  its  nervous  energies; 
to  change  the  simile,  it  was  the  judgment-seat,  where  the 
miner  had  sentence  passed  upon  him  —  sentence  either  to 
plenty,  or  to  starvation  and  despair.  f 

This  place  was  the  "  tipple,"  where  the  coal  that  came 
out  of  the  mine  was  weighed  and  recorded.  Every  digger, 
as  he  came  from  the  cagej  made  for  this  spot.  There  was 
a  bulletin-board,  and  on  it  his  number,  and  the  record  of 
the  weights  of  the  cars  he  had  sent  out  that  day.  And 
every  man,  no  matter  how  ignorant,  had  learned  enough 
English  to  read  those  figures. 

Hal  had  gradually  come  to  realise  that  here  was  the 
place  of  drama.  Most  of  the  men  would  look,  and  then, 
without  a  sound  or  glance  about,  would  slouch  off  with 
drooping  shoulders.  Others  would  mumble  to  themselves 
— -or,  what  amounted  to  the  same  thing,  would  imnnble  to 
one  another  in  barbarous  dialects.  But  about  one  in  five 
could  speak  English ;  arid  scarcely  an  evening  -passed  that 
some  man  did  not  break  loose,  shaking  his  list  at  the  sky, 
Or  at  the  weigh-boss  —  behind  the  latter's  back.  He  might 
gather  a  knot  of  fellow-grumblers  about  him;  it  was 
to  be  noted  that  the  camp-marshal  had  the  habit  of  being 
on  hand  at  this  hour. 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  C(5AL  45 

It  was  on  one  of  these  occasions  that  Hal  first  noticed 
Mike  Sikoria,  a  grizzle-haired  old  Slovak,  who  had  spent 
twenty  years  in  the  mines  of  these  regions.  All  the  bit- 
terness of  all  the  wrongs  of  all  these  years  welled  up  in 
Old  Mike,  as  he  shouted  his  score  aloud:  "  Nineteen, 
twenty-two,  twenty-four,  twenty !  Is  that  my  weight, 
Mister  ?  You  want  me  to  believe  that's  my  weight  ?  " 

"  That's  your  weight,"  said  the  weigh-boss,  coldly. 

"Well,  by  Judas,  your  scale  is  off,  Mister!  Look  at 
them  cars  —  them  cars  is  big !  You  measure  them  cars, 
Mister  —  seven  feet  long,  three  and  a -half  feet  high,  four 
feet  wide.  And  you  tell  me  them  don't  go  but  twenty  ?  " 

^  You  don't  load  them  right/'  said  the  boss. 

"  Don't  load  them  right  ?  "  echoed  the  old  miner ;  he 
became  suddenly  plaintive,  as  if  more  hurt  than  angered 
by  such  an  insinuation.  ."  You  know  all  the  years  I  work, 
and  you  tell  me  I  don't  know  a  load  ?  When  I  load  a  car, 
I  load  him  like  a  miner,  I  don't  load  him  like  a  Jap,  that 
don't  know  about  a  mine !  I  put  it  up  —  I  chunk  it  up 
like  a  stack  of  hay.  I  load  him  square  —  like  that." 
With  gestures  the  old  fellow  was  illustrating  what  he 
meant.  "  See  there !  There's  a  ton  on  the  top,  and  a  ton 
and  a  half  on  the  bottom  —  and  you  tell  me  I  get  only 
nineteen,  twenty !  " 

"  That 's  your  weight,"  said  the  boss,  implacably. 

"  But,  Mister,  your  scale  is  wrong !  I  tell  you  I  used 
to  get  my  weight.  I  used  to  get  forty-five,  forty-six  on 
them  cars.  Here's  my  buddy  —  ask  him  if  it  ain't  so. 
What  is  it,  Bo  ?  " 

"  Um  m  m-mum,"  said  Bo,  who  was  a  negro  —  though 
one  could  hardly  be  sure  of  this  for  the  coal-dust  on  him. 

"  I  can't  make  a  living,  no  more !  "  exclaimed  the  old 
Slovak,  his  voice  trembling  and  his  wizened  dark  eyes  full 
of  pleading.  "  What  you  think  I  make  ?  For  fifteen 
days,  fifty  cents !  I  pay  board,  and  so  help  me  God, 
Mister  —  and  I  stand  right  here  —  I  swear  for  God  I 


46  KING  COAL 

make  fifty  cents.  I  dig  tlie  coal  and  I  ain't  got  no  weight, 
I  ain't  got  nothing !  Your  scale  is  wrong !  " 

"  Get  out !  "  said  the  weigh-boss,  turning  away. 

"  But,  Mister !  ' '  cried  Old  Mike,  following  behind  him, 
and  pouring  his  whole  soul  into  his  words.  "  What  is 
this  life,  Mister?  You  work  like  a  burro,  and  you  don't 
get  nothing  for  it!  You  burn  your  own  powder  —  half 
ti  dollar  a  day  powder  —  what  you  think  of  that  ?  Cross- 
cut—  and  you  get  nothing!  Take  the  skip  and  a  pillar, 
and  you  get  nothing !  Brush  —  and  you  get  nothing ! 
Here,  'by  Judas,  a  poor  man,  going  and  working  his  body 
1o  the  last  point,  and  blood  is  run  out!  You  starve  me  to 
death,  I  say!  I  have  got  to  have  something  to  eat, 
haven't  I  ?  "' 

And  suddenly  the  boss  whirled  upon  him.  "  Get  the 
hell  out  of  here !  "  he  shouted.  "  If  you  don't  like  it,  get 
your  time  and  quit.  Shut  your  face,  or  I'll  shut  it  for 

you  " 

The  old  man  quailed  and  fell  silent.  He  stood  for  a 
moment  more,  biting  his  whiskered  lips  nervously ;  then 
Id's  shoulders  sank  together,  and  he  turned  and  slunk  oS, 
followed  by  his  negro  helper. 


§15.  Old  Mike  boarded  at  Remiriitsky's,  and  after 
supper  was  over,  Hal  sought  him  out  He  was  easy  to 
know,  and  proved  .an  interesting  acquaintance.  With  the 
help  of  his  eloquence  Hal  wandered  through  a  score  of 
camps  in  the  district.  The  old  fellow  had  a  temper  that 
he  could  not  manage,  and  so  lie  was  always  on  the  move; 
but  all  places  were  alike,  he  said  —  there  was  always  some 
trick  by  which  a  miner  was  cheated  of  his  earnings.  A 
miner  was  a  little  business  man,  a  contractor,  who  took  a 
certain  job,  with  its  expenses  and  its  chance  of  profit  or 
loss.  A  "  place  "  was  assigned  to  him  by  the  boss  — -  and 
he  undertook  to  get  out  the  coal  from  it,  being  paid  at  the 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  47 

rate  of  fifty-five  cents  a  ton  for  each  ton  of  clean  coal.  In 
some  ."  places  "  a:  man  could  earn  good  money,  and  in 
others  he  would  work  for  weeks,  and  not  be  able  to  keep  up 
with  his  store-account-. 

It  all  depended  upon  the  amount  of  rock  and  slate  that 
was  found  with  the  coal.  If  the  vein  was  low,  the  man 
had  one  or  two  feet  of  rock  tor  Cake  off  the  ceiling,  and  this 
had  to.  be  loaded  on  separate. cars  and  taken  away.  This 
work  was  called  "  brushing/7  and  for  it:the  miner  received 
no  pay.  Or  perhaps  it  was -necessary  to  cut  through  a  new 
passage,  and  clean  out  the  rock ;  or  ,perhaps  to  "  grade  the 
bottom,"  and  lay  the  ties  and  rails  over  which  the  cars 
were  brought  in  to  be  loaded;  or  perhaps  the  vein  ran  into 
a."  fault,"  a  broken  place  where  there  was  rock  instead  of 
ec/al  —  and  ,this  rock  must  be  hewed  away  before  the 
miner  could  get  at, the  coah  All  such  work  was  called 
"dead-work,"  and  it  was  the  cause  of  unceasing  war.  In 
the -old -days  the  company  had  paid  extra  for  it;  now,  since 
they  had  got  the  upper  hand  of  the  men,  they  were  refusing 
to  pay.  And  so  it  was  important  to  the  miner  to  have  a 
^  place  "  assigned-  him  where  there  was  not  so  much  of  this 
dead  work.  And  the  "  place  "  a  man  got  depended  upon 
the  boss;  so  here,  at  the  very  outset,  was  endless  oppor- 
tunity for  favouritism  and  graft,  for  quarrelling,  or 
"keeping  in"  with  the  boss.  What  chance  did  a  man 
stand  who  was  poor  and  old  and  ugly,  and  could  not  speak 
English  good?  inquired  old  Mike,  with  bitterness.  The 
boss  stole  his  cars  and  gave  them  to  other  people ;  he  took 
the  weight  off  the  cars,  and  gave  them  to  fellows  who 
boarded  with  him,  "or  treated"  him  to  drinks,  or  otherwise 
curried  favour;  with  him. 

a  I  work  five  days  in  the  Southeastern,'?  said  Mike, 
"  and  when  I  work  them  five  days,  so  help- me  God,  brother, 
if  I  don't  get  up  out  of  this  chair,  fifteen  cents  I  was  still 
in  the  hole  yet.  '  Fourteen  inches  of  rock!  And  the  Mr. 
Bishop  T«  that  is  the  superintendent  —  I  says,  '  Do  you 


48  KING  COAL 

pay  something  for  that  rock  ? '  *  Huh  ? '  says  he.  '  Well,1 
I  says,  '  if  you  don't  pay  nothing  for  the  rock,  I  don't  go 
ahead  with  it.  I  ain't  got  no  place  to  put  that  rock.' 
*  Get  the  hell  out  of  here,'  says  he,  and  when  I  started  to 
fight  he  pull  gun  on  me.  And  then  I  go  to  Cedar  Moun- 
tain, and  the  super  give  me  work  there,  and  he  says,  '  You 
go  Number  Four,'  and  he  says,  '  Rail  is  in  Number  Three, 
and  the  ties.'  And  he  says,  '  I  pay  you  for  it  when  you 
put  it  in.'  So  I  take  it  away  and  I  put  it  in,  and  I  work 
till  twelve  o'clock.  Carried  the  three  pair  of  rails  and  the 
ties,  and  I  pulled  all  the  spikes  — " 

"  Pulled  the  spikes  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  Got  no  good  spikes.  Got  to  use  old  spikes,  what  you 
pull  out  of  them  old  ties.  So  then  I  says,  *  What  is  my 
half  day,  what  you  promise  me  ? '  Says  he,  '  You  ain't 
dug  no  coal  yet ! '  *  But,  mister,'  says  I,  '  you  promise 
me  pay  to  pull  them  spikes  and  put  in  them  ties ! '  Says 
he,  i  Company  pay  nothin'  for  dead  work  —  you  know 
that,'  says  he,  and  that  is  all  the  satisfaction  I  get." 

"  And  you  didn't  get  your  half  day's  pay  ? " 

"  Sure  I  get  nothin'.  Boss  do  just  as  he  please  in  coal 
mine !  " 


§  16.  There  was  another  way,  Old  Mike  explained,  in 
which  the  miner  was  at  the  mercy  of  others ;  this  was  the 
matter  of  stealing  cars.  Each  miner  had  brass  checks 
with  his  number  on  them,  and  when  he  sent  up  a  loaded 
car,  he  hung  one  of  these  checks  on  a  hook  inside.  In 
the  course  of  the  long  journey  to  the  tipple,  some  one  would 
change  the  check,  and  the  car  was  gone.  In  some  mines, 
the  number  was  put  on  the  car  with  chalk ;  and  how  easy 
it  was  for  some  one  to  rub  it  out  and  change  it !  It  ap- 
peared to  Hal  that  it  would  have  been  a  simple  matter  to 
put  a  number  padlock  on  the  car,  instead  of  a  check ;  but 
such  an  equipment  would  have  cost  the  company  one  or 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  49 

two  hundred  dollars,  he  was  told,  and  so  the  stealing  went 
on  year  after  year. 

"  You  think  it's  the  bosses  steal  these  cars  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  Sometime*  bosses,  sometimes  bosses'  friend  —  some- 
times company  himself  steal  them  from  miners."  In 
North  Valley  it  was  the  company,  the  old  Slovak  insisted. 
It  was  no  use  sending  up  more  than  six  cars  in  one  day, 
he  declared ;  you  could  never  get  credit  for  more  than  six. 
Nor  was  it  worth  while  loading  more  than  a  ton  on  a  car ; 
they  did  not  really  weigh  the  cars,  the  boss  just  ran  them 
quickly  over  the  scales,  and  had  orders  not  to  go  above 
a  certain  average.  Mike  told  of  an  Italian  who  had  loaded 
a  car  for  a  test,  so  high  that  he  could  barely  pass  it  under 
the  roof  of  the  entry, ,  and  went  up  on  the  tipple  and  saw 
it  weighed  himself,  and  it  was  sixty-five  hundred  pounds. 
They  gave  him  thirty-five  hundred,  and  when  he  started  to 
fight,  they  arrested  him.  Mike  had  not  seen  him  arrested, 
but  when  he  had  come  out  of  the  mine,  the  man  was  gone, 
and  nobody  ever  saw  him  again.  After  that  they  put  a 
door  onto  the  weigh-room,  so  that  no  one  could  see  the 
scales. 

The  more  Hal  listened  to  the  men  and  reflected  upon 
these  things,  the  more  he  came  to  see  that  the  miner  was  a 
contractor  who  had  no  opportunity  to  determine  the  size 
of  the  contract  before  he  took  it  on,  nor  afterwards  to 
determine  how  much  work  he  had  done.  More  than  that, 
he  was  obliged  to  use  supplies,  over  the  price  and  measure- 
ments of  which  he  had  no  control.  He  used  powder,  and 
would  find  himself  docked  at  the  end  of  the  month  for  a 
certain  quantity,  and  if  the  quantity  was  wrong,  he  would 
have  no  redress.  He  was  charged  a  certain  sum  for 
"  black-smithing  " —  the  keeping  of  his  tools  in  order ;  and 
he  would  find  a  dollar  or  two  deducted  from  his  account 
each  month,  even  though  he  had  not  been  near  the  black- 
smith shop.* 

Let  any  business-man  in  the  world  consider  the  propo- 


50  KING  COAL 

sitiori,  thought-  Hal,  and  say  if  he  would  take  a  contract 
upon  such  terms!  Would  a  man  undertake  to  build  a 
dam,  for  example,  with  no  chance  to  measure  the  ground 
in  advance,  nor  any  way  of  determining  how  many  cubic 
yards  of  concrete  he  had  to  put  in  ?  Would  a  grocer'  sell 
to  a  customer  who  proposed  to  come  into  the  store  and  do 
his  own  weighing  —  and  meantime  locking  the  grocer 'out- 
side ?  Merely  -to  put  such  questions  'was  to  show  the  pre- 
posterousness  of  the  thing ;  yet  in  this  district  were  fifteen 
thousand  men  working  on  precisely  such  terms. 

Under  the  state  law,  the  miner  had  a  right  to  demand 
a  check-weighman  to  protect  his  interest  at  the  scales, 
paying  this  check-weighman?s  wages  out  of  his  own  earn- 
ings. Whenever  there  was  any  public  criticism  about  con- 
ditions in  the  coal-mines,  this  law  would  be  triumphantly 
cited  by  the  operators ;  and  one  had  to  have  actual  experi- 
ence in  order  to  realise  what  a  bitter  mockery  this  was 
to  the  miner. 

In  the  dining-room  Hal  sat  next  to  a  fair-haired  Swedish 
giant  named  Johannsoiij  who  loaded  timbers  ten 'hours  a 
day.  This  fellow  was  one  who  indulged  in  the  luxury  of 
speaking  his  mind,  because  he  had  youth  and  huge  mus- 
cles, and  no  family  to  tie  him  down.  He  was  what  is 
called  a  "  blanket-stiff/'  -wandering  from  mine  'to  harvest^ 
field  and  from  harvest-field  to  lumber-camp.  Some  one 
broached  the  subject  of  check-weighmen  to  him,  and  the 
whole  table  heard  his  scornful  laligh.  Let  any  man  ask 
for  a  check-weighman ! 

"  You  mean  they  would  fire  him  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  Maybe !  "  was  the  answer.  "  Maybe  they  make  him 
fire  himself." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  They  make  his  life  one  damn  misery  till  he  go." 

So -it  was  with  check-weighman — as  with  scrip,  and 
with  company  stores,  and  with  all  the  provisions  of  the 
law  to  protect  the  miner  against  accidents.  You  might 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  51 

demand  your  legal  rights,  but  if  you  did,  it  was  a  matter 
of  the  boss's  temper.  He  might  make  your  life  one  damn 
misery  till  you  went  of  your  own  accord.  Or  you  might 
get  a  string  of  curses  and  an  order,  "  JJown  the  canyon !  " 
—  and  likely  as  not  the  toe  of  a  boot  in  your  trouser-seat, 
or  the  muzzle  of  a  revolver  under  your  nose. 


§  17.  §uch  conditions  'made  the  coal-district  a  place 
of  despair.  Yet  there  were  men  who  managed  to  get  along 
somehow,  and  to  raise  families  and  keep  decent  homes. 
If  one  had  the  luck  to  escape  accident,  if  he  did  not  marry 
too  young,  or  did  not  have  too  many  children ;  if  he  could 
manage  to  escape  the  temptations  of  liquor,  to  ;which  over- 
work and  monotony  drove  so  many ;  if,  above  "all,  he  could 
keep  on  the  right  side  of  his  boss  —  why  then  he  might 
have  a  home,  and  even  a  little  money  on  deposit  with  the 
company. 

Such  a  one  was  Jerry  Minetti,  who  became  one  of  Hal's 
best  friends.  He  was  a  Milanese,  and  his  name  was 
Gerolamo,  which  had  become  Jerry  in  the  "  melting-pot." 
He  was  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  what  is  un- 
•usual  with  the  Italians,  was  of  good  stature.  Their  meet- 
ing took  place  —  as  did  most  of  Hal's  social  experiences  — 
on  a  Sunday.  Jerry  had  just  had  a  sleep  and  a  wash, 
and  had  put  on  a  pair  of  new  blue  overalls,  so  that  he  pre- 
sented a  cheering  aspect  in  the  sunlight.  He  Walked  with 
his  head  up  and  his  shoulders  square,  and  one  could  see 
that  he  had  few  cares  in  the  world. 

But  what  caught  Hal's  attention  was  not  so  much  Jerry 
as  what  followed  at  Jerry's  heels;  a  perfect  reproduction 
of  him,  quarter-size,  also  with  a  newly-washed  face  and  a 
pair  of  new  blue  overalls.  He  too  had  his  head  up,  and 
his  shoulders  square,  and  he  was  an  irresistible  object, 
throwing  out  his  heels  and  trying  his  best  to  keep  step. 
Since  the  longest  strides  he  could  take  left  him  behind, 


52  KIXG  COAL 

lie  would  break  into  a  run,  and  getting  close  under  liis 
father's  heels,  would  begin  keeping  step  once  more. 

Hal  was  going  in  the  same  direction,  and  it  affected  him 
like  the  music  of  a  military  band ;  he  too  wanted  to  throw 
his  head  up  and  square  his  shoulders  and  keep  step.  And 
then  other  people,  seeing  the  grin  on  his  face,  would  turn 
and  watch,  and  grin  also.  But  Jerry  walked  on  gravely, 
unaware  of  this  circus  in  the  rear. 

They  went  into  a  house ;  and  Hal,  having  nothing  to  do 
but  enjoy  life,  stood  waiting  for  them  to  come  out.  They 
returned  in  the  same  procession,  only  now  the  man  had  a 
sack  of  something  on  his  shoulder,  while  the  little  chap  had 
a  smaller  load  poised  in  imitation.  So  Hal  grinned  again, 
and  when  they  were  opposite  him,  he  said,  "  Hello." 

"  Hello,"  said  Jerry,  and  stopped.  Then,  seeing  Hal's 
grin,  he  grinned  back;  and  Hal  looked  at  the  little  chap 
and  grinned,  and  the  little  chap  grinned  back.  Jerry, 
seeing  what  Hal  was  grinning  at,  grinned  more  than  ever ; 
so  there  stood  all  three  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  grinning 
at  one  another  for  no  apparent  reason. 

"  Gee;  but  that's  a  great  kid!"  said  Hal. 

"  Gee,  you  bet !  "  said  Jerry;  and  he  set  down  his  sack. 
If  some  one  desired  to  admire  the  kid,  he  was  willing  to 
stop  any  length  of  time. 

•"  Yours  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  You  bet !  "  said  Jerry,  again. 

"  Hello,  Buster !  "  said  Hal. 

"  Hello  yourself !  "  said  the  kid.     One  could  see  in  a 
moment  that  he  had  been  in  the  "  rnelt ing-pot." 
."  What's  your  name  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  Jerry,"  was  the  reply. 

"  And  what's  his  name  ?  "  Hal  nodded  towards  the  man. 

*  Big  Jerry." 

".•Got  any  more  like  you  at  home  ?  " 

"  One  more,"  said  Big  Jerry.     "  Baby." 

"  He  ain't  like  me,"  said  Little  Jerry.     "  He's  little." 


'  THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  53 

"  And  you're  big?  "  said  Hal. 

"Ho  can't  walk  I" 

"  .Neither  can  you  walk ! "  laughed  Hal,  and  caught  him 
up  and  slung  him  onto  his  shoulder.  "  Come  on,  we'll 
,ride!" 

So  Big  Jerry  took  up  his  sack  again,  and  they  started 
oft';  only  this  time  it  .was. Hal  who  fell  behind  and  kept 
•step,  squaring  his  shoulders  and  flinging  out,  his  heels. 
Little  Jerry  caught  onto  the  joke,  and  giggled  and  kicked 
his  sturdy  legs  with  delight.  Big  Jerry  would  look  round, 
not  knowing  what  the  joke  was,  but  enjoying  it  just  the 
same. 

They  came  to  the  three-room  cabin  which  was  Both 
Jerrys'  home;  and  Mrs.  Jerry  came  to  t^e  door,  a  black- 
eyed  Sicilian  girl,  who  did  not  look  old  enough  to  have 
even  one  baby.  They  had  another  bout  of  grinning,  at 
the  end  of  which  Big  Jerry  said,  "  You  come  in  \  " 

"  Sure,"  said  Hal. 

"  You  stay  supper,"  added  the  other.     "  Got  spaghetti." 

"  Gee !  "  said  Hal.  "  All  right,  let  me  stay,  and  pay 
for  it." 

".Hell,  no !  "  said  Jerry.     "  You  no  pay !  " 

"  No !  No  pay !  "  cried  Mrs.  Jerry,  shaking  her  pretty 
head  energetically. 

"All  right,"  said  Hal4 ,  quickly,  seeing  that  he  might 
hurt  their  feelings.  "  I'll  stay  if  you're  sure  you  have 
enough." 

"  Sure,  plenty !  "  said  Jerry.     "  Hey,  Rosa  I  " 

"  Sure,  plenty !  "  said  Mrs.  Jerry. 

"  Then  I'll  stay,"  said  Hal.  ' "  You  like  spaghetti, 
Kid?" 

"  Jesus !  "  cried  Little  Jerry. 

Hal  looked  about  him  at  this  Dago  home.     It  was  a 

home  in  keeping  with  its  pretty  occupant.     There  were 

•lace  curtains  in  the  windows,  even  shinier  and  whiter  than 

at  the  Rafferties;  there  was  an  incredibly  bright-coloured 


54  KING  COAL 

rug  on  the  floor,  and  bright  coloured  pictures  of  Mount 
Vesuvius  and  of  Garibaldi  on  the  walls.  Also  there  was 
a  cabinet  with  many  interesting  treasures  to  look  at  —  a 
bit  of  coral  and  a  conch-shell,  a  shark's  tooth  and  an  Indian 
arrow-head,  and  a  stuffed  linnet  with  a  glass  cover  over 
him.  A  while  back  Hal  would  not  have  thought  of  such 
things,  as  especially  stimulating  to  the  imagination ;  but 
that  was  before  he  had  begun  to  spend  five-sixths  of  his 
waking  hours  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 

He  ate  supper,  a  real  Dago  supper ;  the,  spaghetti  proved 
to  be  real  Dago  spaghetti,  smoking  hot,  with  tomato  sauce 
and  a  rich  flavour  of  meat-juice.  And  -all  through  the 
meal  Hal  smacked  his  lips  and  grinned  at  Little  Jerry, 
who'  smacked  his  lips  and  grinned  back.  It  was  all  so 
different  from  feeding  at  Reminitsky's  pig-trough,  that 
Hal  thought  he  had  never  had  such  a  good  supper  in  his 
life  before.  As  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jerry,  they  were  so 
proud  of  their  wonderful  kid,  who  could  swear  in  English 
as  good  as  a  real  American,  that  they  were  in  the  seventh 
heaven. 

When  the  meal  was  over,  Hal  leaned  back  and  exclaimed, 
just  as  he  had  at  the  Rafferties',  "  Lord,  how  I  wish  I  could 
board  here!  " 

He  saw  nis  host  look  at  his  wife.  "  All  right,"  said  he. 
"  You  come  here.  I  board  you.  Hey,  Rosa  ?  " 

"  Sure,"  said  Rosa. 

Hal  looked  at  them,  astonished.  "  You're  sure  they'll 
let  you  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Let  me?     Who  stop  me?  " 

"I  don't  know.  Maybe  Reminitsky.  You  might  get 
into  trouble." 

Jerry  grinned.  "  I  no  fraid,"  said  he.  "  Got  friends 
here.  Carmino  my  cousin.  You  know  Carmino  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Hal'. 

"Pit-boss  in  Number  One.  He  stand  by  me.  Old 
Reminitsky  go  hang!  *  You  come  here,  I  give  you  bunk  in 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  55 

that  room,  give  you  good  grub.  What  you  pay  Reminit- 
sky?" 

"  Twenty-seven  a  month.'7 

"  All  right,  you  pay  me  twenty-seven,  you  get  every- 
thing good.  Can't  get  much  stuff  here,  but  Rosa  good 
cook,  she  fix  it." 

Hal's  new  friend — besides  being  a  favourite  of  the 
boss  —  was  a  "  shot-firer  " ;  it  was  his  duty  to  go  about 
the  mine  at  night,  setting  off  the  charges  of  powder  which 
the  miners  had  got  ready  by  day.  This  was  dangerous 
work,  calling  for  a  skilled  man,  and  it  paid  pretty  well; 
sOx  Jerry  got  on  in  the  world  and  was  not  afraid  to  speak 
his  mind,  within  certain  limits.  He  ignored  the  possi- 
bility that  Hal  might  be  a  company  spy,  and  astonished 
him  by  rebellious  talk  of  the  different  kinds  of  graft  in 
North  Valley,  and  at  other  places  he,  had  worked  since 
coming  to  America  as  a  boy.  Minetti  was  a  Socialist, 
Hal  learned;  he  took  an  Italian  Socialist  paper,  and  the 
clerk  at  the  post-office  knew  what  sort  of  paper  it  was,  and 
would  "  josh  "  him  about  it.  What  was. more  remark- 
able, Mrs.  Minetti  was  a  Socialist  also ;  that  meant  a  great 
deal  to  a  man,  as  Jerry  explained,  because  she  was  not 
under  the  domination  of  a  priest. 


§  18.  Hal  made  the  move  at  once,  sacrificing  part  of 
a  month's  board,  which  Reminitsky  would  charge  against 
his  account  with  the  company.  But  he  was  willing  to  pay 
for  the  privilege  of  a  clean  home  and  clean  food.  To  his 
amusement  he  found  that  in  the  eyes  of  his  Irish  friends 
he  was  losing  caste  by  going  to  live  with  the  Minettis. 
There  were  most. rigid  social  lines  in  North  Valley,  it 
appeared.  The  Americans  and  English  and  Scotch  looked 
down  upon  the  Welsh  and  Irish ;  the  Welsh  and  Irish 
looked  down  upon  the  Dagoes  and  Frenchies ;  the  Dagoes 
and  Frenchies  looked  down  upon  Polacks  and  Hunkies, 


56  KING-  COAL 

these  in  turn  upon  Greeks,  Bulgarians  and  "  Monty- 
negroes,"  and  so  on  through  a  score  of  races  of  Eastern 
Europe,  Lithuanians,  Slovaks,  and  Croatians,  Armenians, 
Roumanians,  Rumelians,  Ruthenians  —  ending  up  with 
Greasers,  niggers,  and  last  and  lowest,  Japs. 

It  was  when  Hal  went  to  pay  another  call  upon  the 
Raiferties  that  he  made  this  discovery.  Mary  Burke  hap- 
pened to  be  there,  and  when  she  caught  sight  of  him,  her 
grey  eyes  beamed  with  mischief.  "  How  do  ye  do,  Mr. 
Minetti  3  "  she  cried. 

"  How  do  ye  do,. Miss  Rc-setti?  "  he  countered. 

"  You  lika  da  spagett  ?  " 

"  You  no  lika  da  spagett  ? " 

"  I  told  ye  once,"  laughed  the  girl L— "  the  good  old  per- 
taties  is  good  enough  for  me!  " 

"And  you  remember/'  said  he,  " .what  I  answered'f" 

Yes,  she  remembered!  Her  cheeks  took  on  the  colour 
of.  the  rose-leaves  he  had  specified  as  her  probable  diet. 

And  then  the  Rafferty  children,  who  had  , got  to  know 
Hal  well,  joined  in  the  teasing,  "  Mister  'Minetti !  Lika 
da  spagetti !  "  Hal,  when  he  had  grasped  j  the  situation, 
was  tempted  to  retaliate  by  reminding  them  that  he  had 
offered  '  to  board  with  the  Irish,  and  been  turned  down ; 
but  he  feared  that  the  elder  Rafferty  might  not  appreciate 
this  joke,  so  instead  he  pretended  to  have  supposed  all 
along  that  the  Raff erties  were  Italians.  He  addressed  the 
elder  Rafferty  gravely,  pronouncing  the  .name  with  the 
accent  on  the  second  syllable ;— -•"  Signor  Raff e*rti  "  ;  and 
this  So  amused  the  , old  man  that  he  chuckled  over  it  at  in- 
tervals for  an  hour.  His  heart  warmed  to  this  lively 
young  fellow ;  he  forgot  some  of  his  suspicions,  and  after 
the  youngsters  had  been  sent  away  to  bed,  he  talked  more 
or  less  frankly  about  his  life  as  a  coal-miner. 

V  Old  Rafferty  "  had  once,  been  on  the  way  to  high  sta- 
tion. He  had  been  made  tipple-boss  at  the  San  Jose  mine, 
but  had  given  up  his  job  because  he  had  thought  that  his 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  57 

religion  did  not  permit  him  to  do  what  he  was  ordered  to 
do.  It  had  been  a  crude  proposition  of  keeping  the  men's 
score  at  a  certain  level,  no  matter  how  much  coal  they 
might  send  up ;  and  when  Raff'erty  had  quit  rather  than 
obey  such  orders,  he  had  had  to  leave  the  mine  altogether; 
for  of  course  everybody  knew  why  he  had  quit,  and  Ms 
mere  presence  had  the  effect  of  keeping  discontent  alive. 

"  You  think  there  are:  no  honest  companies  at  alii" 
Hal  asked. 

The  old  man  answered,  "There  be  some,  but  'tis  not  so 
easy  as  ye  might  think  to  be  honest.  They  have  to  meet 
each  other's  prices,  and  when  On«  short-weights,  the  others 
have  to.  'Tis  a  way  of  cuttin'  wages  without  the  nien 
findin'  it  out;  and  there  be  people  that  do  not  like  to  fall 
behind  with  their  profits."  Hal  found  himself  thinking 
of  old  Peter  Harrigan,  who  controlled  the  General  Fuel 
Company,  and  had  made  the- remark:  "I  am  a  great 
clarnourer  for  dividends !'" 

"  The  trouble  with  the  miner,"  continued  Old  Rafferty, 
"is  that  he  has  no  one  to  speak  for  him.  He  stands 
alone  — " 

During  this  discourse,  Hal  had  glanced  at  "  Red  Mary," 
and  noticed  that?  she  sat  with  her  arms  oil  the  table,  her 
sturdy  shoulders  bowed  in  a  fashion  which  told  of  a  hard 
day's  toil.  But  here  she  broke  into  the  conversation ;  her 
voice  came  suddenly,  alive  with  scorn :  "  The  trouble 
with  the  miner  is  that  he's  a  slave  I  " 

"  Ah,  now  — "  put  in  the  old  man,  protestingly. 

"He  has  the  whole  world  against  him,  and  he  hasn't 
got  the  sense  to  get  together  —  to  form  a  union,  and  stand 
by  it!" 

There  fell  a  sudden  silence  in  the  Rafferty  home.  Even 
Hal  was  startled  —  for  this  was  the  first  time  during  his 
stay  in  the  camp  that  he  had  heard  the  dread  word 
"  union  "  spoken  above  a  whisper. 

"I  know!  "  said  Mary,  her  grey  eyes  full  of  defiance. 


58  KING  COAL 

"  Ye'll  not  have  the  word  spoken!     But  some  will  speak 
it  in  spite  of  ye !  "       . 

'  'Tis  all  very  well/'  said  the  old  man.     "  When  ye're 
young,  and  a  woman  too — " 

"  A  woman !  Is  it  only  the  "women ,  that  can  have 
courage  ?  " 

"  Sure,"  said  he,  with  a  wry  smile,  "  'tis  the  women 
that  have  the  tongues,  and  that  can't,  be  stopped  from  usin' 
them.  Even  the  boss  must  know  that." 

"  Maybe  so,"  replied  Mary.  "And  maybe  'tis  the 
women  have  the  most  to  suffer  in  a  coal-camp ;  and  maybe 
the  boss  knows  that/'  The  girl's  cheeks  were  red. 

"  Mebbe  so,"  said  Rafferty;  and  after  that  there  was 
silence,  while  he  sat  puffing  his  pipe.  It  was  evident  that 
he  did  not  care  to  go  on,  that  he  did  not  want  union  speeches 
made  in  his  home.  After  a  while  Mrs.  Rafferty  made  a 
timid  effort  to  change  the  course  of  the  talk,  by  asking 
after  Mary's  sister,  who  had  not  been  well ;  and  after  they 
had  discussed  remedies  for  the  ailments  of  children,  Mary 
rose,  saying,  "  I'll  be  goin'  along." 

Hal  rose  also.     "  I'll  walk  with  you,  if  I  may,"  he  said. 

"  Sure,"  said  she;  and  it  seemed  that  the  cheerfulness 
of  the  Rafferty  family  was  restored  by  the  sight  of  a  bit 
of  gallantry. 


§  19.  They  strolled  down  the  street,  and  Hal  remarked, 
"  That's  the  first  word  I've  heard  here  about  a  union." 

Mary  looked  about  her  nervously.  "  Hush !  "  she  whis- 
pered. 

"  But  I  thought  you  said  you  were  talking  about  it !  " 

She  answered,  "  'Tis  one  thing,  talkin'  in  a  friend's 
house,  and  another  outside.  What's  the  good  of  throwin' 
away  your  job?  " 

He  lowered  his  voice.  "  Would  you  seriously  like  to 
have  a  union  here  ?  " 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  59 

"  Seriously  ?  "  said  she.     "  Didn't  ye  see  Mr.  Rafferty 

—  what  a  coward  he  is  ?     That's  the  way  they  are !     No, 
'twas  just  a  burst  of  my  temper.     I'm  a  bit  crazy  to-night 

—  something  happened  to  set  me  off." 

He  thought  she  was"  going  on,  but  apparently  she  changed 
her  mind.  Finally  he  asked,  "  What  happened  ?" 

"  Oh,  'twould  do  no  good  to  talk,"  she  answered;  and 
they  walked  a  bit  farther  in  silence. 

"  Tell  me  about  it,  won't  you?  "  he  said;  and  the  kind- 
ness in  his  tone  made  its  impression. 

"  'Tis  not  much  ye  know  of  a  coal-camp,  Joe  Smith," 
she  said.  "  Can't  ye  imagine  what  it's  like  - —  bein'  a 
woman  in  a  place  like  this  ?.  And  a  woman  they  think 
good-lookin' !  " 

"  Oh,  so  it's  that / "  'said  he,  and  was  silent  again. 
"  Some  one'§  been  troubling  you  ?  "  he  ventured  after  a 
while. 

"Sure!  Some  one's  always  troublin'  us  women!  Al- 
ways! Never  a  day  but  we  hear  it.  Winks  and  nudges 

—  everywhere  ye  turn." 
"  Who  is  it  ?  " 

"  The  bosses,  the  clerks  —  anybody  that  has  a  chance  to 
wear  a  stiff  collar,  and  thinks  he  can  offer  money  to  a 
girl.  It  begins  before  she's  out  of  short  skirts,  and  there's 
never  any  peace  afterwards." 

"  And  you  can't  make  them  understand?  " 

"  I've  made  them  understand  me  a  bit ;  now  they  go 
after  my  old  man." 

"What?." 

"  Sure !  D'ye  suppose  they'd  not  try  that  ?  Him  that's 
so  crazy  for  liquor,  and  can  never  get  enough  of  it!  " 

"  And  your  father  ?  — "  But  Hal  stopped.  She  would 
not  want  that  question  asked  ! 

She  had  seen  his  hesitation,  however.-  "He  was  a  de- 
cent man  once,"  she  declared.  "'Tis  the  life  here,  that 
turns  a  man  into  a  coward.  'Tis  everything  ye  need, 


60  KING-  COAL 

everywhere  ye  turn  — ye  have  to  ask  favours  from  some 
boss.  The  room  ye  work  in,  the  dead  work  they  pile  on 
ye;  or  maybe  ''tis  more  credit  ye  need  at  the  store,  or 
maybe  the  doctor  to  come  when  ye're  sick.  Just  now  'tis 
our  roof  that  leaks  —  so  bad  we  can't  find  a  dry  place  to 
sleep  when  it  rains." 

"  I  see,"  said  Hal.     "  Who  owns  the  house  ?  " 

"  Sure,  there's  none  ^but  company  houses  here." 

"  Who's  supposed  to  fix  it  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Kosegi,  the  house-agent.  But  we  gave  him  up 
long  ago- — if  he  does  anything,  he  raises  the  rent.  To- 
day my  father  went  to  Mr.  Cotton.  He's  supposed  to  look 
out  for  the  health  of  the  place;  and  it  seems  hardly  healthy 
to  keep  people  wet  in  their  beds." 

"  And  what  did  Cotton  say?"  asked  Hal,  when  she 
stopped  again. 

"  Well,  don't  ye  know  Jeff  Cotton  : —  can't  ye  guess  what 
he'd  say  ?  t  That's  a  fine  girl  ye  got,  Burke !  Why  don't 
ye  make  her  listen  to  reason  ? '  And  then  he  laughed,  and 
told  me  old  father  he'd  better  learn  to  take  a  hint.  'Twas 
bad  for  an  old  man  to  sleep  in  the  rain — -he  might  get 
carried  off  by  pneumonia." 

Hal  could  no  longer  keep  back  the  question,  "  What  did 
your  father  do  ?  " 

"  I'd  not  have  ye  think  hard  of  my  old  father,"  she 
said,  quickly.  "  He  used  to  be  a  fightin'  man,  in  the  days 
before  O'Callahan  had  his  way  with  him.  But  now  he 
knows  what  a  camp-marshal  can  do  to  a  miner !  " 


§20.  Mary  Burke  had  said  that  the  company  could 
stand  breaking  the  bones  of  its  men ;  and  not  long  after 
Number  Two  started  up  again,  Hal  had  a  chance  to  note 
the  truth  of  this  assertion. 

A  miner's  life  depended  upon  the  proper  timbering  of 
the  room  where  he  worked.  The  company  undertook  to 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  61 

furnish  the  timbers,,  but  when  the  miner  needed  thern^  he 
would  find  none  a.t  hand,  and  would  have  to  make  the  mile- 
long  trip  to  the  surface.  He  would  select  timbers  of  the 
proper  length/  and  would  mark  them:—  the  understanding 
being  that  they  were  to  be  delivered  to  his  room  by  some 
of  the  labourers.  But  then  some  one  else  would  carry 
them  off  —  here  was  more  graft  and  favouritism,  and  the 
miner  might  ,lose  a  day  or  two  of  work,  while. meantime 
his  account  was  piling  up  at  the  store,  and  his  children 
might  have  no  shoes  to  go  to  sqhool.  Sometim0s  he  would 
give  up  waiting  for  timbers,  and  go  on  taking  out  coal;  so 
there  would  be  a  fall  of  rock  —  and  the  coroner's  jury 
would  bring  in  a  verdict  of  "  negligence,"  and  the  coal- 
operators  would  talk  solemnly  about  the  impossibility  of 
teaching  caution  to  miners.  Not  so  very  long  agp  Hal 
had  read  an  interview  which  the  president  of  the  General 

,  Fuel  Company  had  given  to  a  newspaper,  in  which  he  set 
forth  the  idea  that  the  more  experience  a  miner  had  the 
more  dangerous  it  was  to  employ  him,  because  he  thought 
he  knew  it  allj  and  would  not  heed  the  wise  regulations 
which  the  company  laid  down  for  his  safety! 

In  Number  Two  mine  there  were  some  places  being 
operated  by  the  "  room  and  j  pillar  "  method ;  the  coal 
being  taken  out  as  from  a  series  of  rooms,  the  portion 
corresponding  to  the  walls  of  the  rooms  being  left  to  uphold 
the  roof.  These  walls  are  the  "  pillars  " ;  and  when  the 
end  of  the  vein  is  reached,  the  miner  begins  to  work  back- 
wards, "  pulling  the  pillars/'  and  letting  the  roof  collapse 
behind  him.  This  is  a  dangerous  task ;  as  he  works,  the 
roan  has  to  listen  to  the  drumming  sounds  of  the  rock  abo^e 
his  head,  and  has  to  judge  just  when  to  make  his  escape. 
Sometimes  he  is  too  anxious  to  save  a  tool ;  or  sometimes 

:.  the  collapse  comes  without  warning.  In  that  case  the  -vic- 
tim is  seldom  dug  out;  for  it  must  be  admitted  that  a  man 
buried  under  a  mountain  is  as  well  buried  as  a  company 
could  be  expected  to  arrange  it. 


62  KING  COAL 

In  Number  Two  mine  a  man  was  caught  in  this  way. 
He  stumbled  as  he  rail,  and  the  lower  half  of  his  body  was 
pinned  fast ;  the  doctor  had  to  come  and  pump  opiates  into 
him,  while  the  rescue  crew  was  digging  him  loose.  The 
first  Hal  knew  of  the  accident  was  when  he  saw  the  body 
stretched  out  on  a  plank,  with  a  couple  of  old  sacks  to  cover 
it.  He  noticed  that  nobody  stopped  for  a  second  glance. 
Going  up  from  work,  he  asked  his  friend  Madvik,  the 
mule  driver,  who  answered,  "  Lithuanian  feller  —  got 
'mash."  And  that  was  all.  Nobody  knew  him,  and  no- 
body cared  about  him. 

It  happened  that  Mike  Sikoria  had  been  working 
nearby,  and  was  one  of  those  who  helped  to  get  the  victim 
out.  Mike's  negro  "  buddy  "  had  been  in  too  great  haste 
to  get  some  of  the  rock  out  of  the  way,  and  had  got  his 
hand  crushed,  and  would  not  be  able  to  work  for  a  month 
or  so.  Mike  told  Hal  about  it,  in  his  broken  English.  It 
was  a  terrible  thing  to  see  a  man  trapped  like  that,  gasping, 
his  eyes  almost  popping  out  of  his  head.  Fortunately  he 
was  a  young  fellow,  and  had  no  family. 

Hal  asked  what  they  would  do  with  the  body ;  the  answer 
'was  they  would  bury  him  in  the  morning.  The  company 
had  a  piece  of  ground  up  the  canyon. 

"  But  won't  they  have  an  inquest  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Inques' «  "  repeated  the  other.     "  What's  he?  " 

"  Doesn't  the  coroner  see  the  body  ?  " 

The  old  Slovak  shrugged  his  bowed  shoulders;  if  there 
was  a  coroner  in  this  part  of  the  world,  he  had  never  heard 
of  it;  and  he  had  worked  in  a  good  many  mines,  and  seen 
a  good  many  men  put  under  the  ground.  "  Put  hirn  in  a 
box  and  dig  a  hole,"  was  the  way  he  described  the  pro- 
cedure. 

"  And  doesn't  the  priest  come  ?  " 

"  Priest  too  far  away." 

Afterwards  Hal  made  inquiry  among  the  English-speak- 
ing men,  and  learned  that  the  coroner  did  sometimes  come 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  63 

to  the  camp.  He  would  empanel  a  jury  consisting  of  Jeff 
Cotton,  the  marshal,  and  Predovich,  the  Galician  Jew  who 
worked  in  the  company  store,  and  a  clerk  or  two  from  the 
company's  office,  and  a  couple  of  Mexican  labourers  who 
had  no  idea  wrhat  it  was  all  about.  This  jury  would  view 
the  corpse,  and  ask  a  couple  of  men  what  had  happened, 
and  then  bring  in  a  verdict :  "  We  find  that  the  deceased 
met  his  death  from  a  fall  of  rock  caused  by  his  own  fault." 
(In  one  case  they  had  added  the  picturesque  detail:  "  No 
relatives,  and  damned  few  friends !  " ) 

For  this  service  the  coroner  got  a  fee,  and  the  company 
got  an  official  verdict,  which  would  be  final  in  case  some 
foreign  consul  should  threaten  a  damage  suit.  So  well 
did  they  have  matters  in  hand  that  nobody  in  North  Val- 
'ley  had  ever  got  anything  for  death  or  injury ;  in  fact,  as 
Hal  found  later,  there  had  not  been  a  damage  suit  filed 
against  any  coal-operator  in  that  county  for  twenty-three 
years ! 

This  particular  accident  was  of  consequence  to  Hal,  be- 
cause it  got  him  a  chance  to  see  the  real  work  of  mining. 
Old  Mike  was  without  a  helper,  and  made  the  proposition 
that  Hal  should  take  the  job.  It 'was  better  than  a  stable- 
man's, for  it  paid  two  dollars  a~day. 

'*  But  will  the  boss  let  me  change  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

"  You  give  him  ten  dollar,  he  change  you,"  said  Mike. 

"•  Sorry,"  said  Hal,  "  I  haven't  got  ten  dollars." 

"  You  give  him  ten  dollar  credit,"  said  the  other. 

And  Hal  laughed.  "  They  take  scrip  for  graft,  do 
they?*' 

"  Sure  they  take  him,"  said  Mike. 

"  Suppose  I  treat  my  mules  bad  ?  "  continued  the  other. 
"  So  I  can  make  him  change  me  for  nothing !  " 

"  He.  change  you  to  hell !  "  replied  Mike.  "  You  get 
him  cross,  he  put  us  in  bad  room,  cost  us  ten  dollar  a  week. 
No,  sir  —  you  give  him  drink,  say  fine  feller,  make  him 
feel  good.  You  talk  American  —  give  him  jolly !  " 


64  KING  COAL 

§21.  ...Hal  was  glad  of  tkis  opportunity  to  get  better 
acquainted  with  his  pit-boss.  Alec  Stone  was  six  feet 
high,  and  built  in  proportion,  with  arias  like  hams, -<—  soft 
with  fat,  yet  possessed',  of  enormous  strength,  He  had 
learned  his  manner  of  handling  men, on  a  sugar-plantation 
in  Louisiana  —  a  fact  which,,  whenjlal  heard  it,  explained 
much.  Like  a  stage-manager  who  does  not  heed  the  real 
names  of  his  actors,  but  calls  them  by  their  character- 
Barnes,  Stone  had  the  habit  of  addressing  his  men  by  their 
nationalities-:  "  You,  Polack)  get  that  rock  into  the  car ! 
HeyrJap,  bring  them  tools  over  here!  Shut  your  mouth, 
now,  Dago,  and  get  to  work,  or  I'll  kick  the  breeches  oil' 
you,  .sure  as  you're  alive !  " 

Hal  had  witnessed  one  occasion  when  there  was  a  dis- 
pute as  to  whose  duty  it  was  to  move  timbers.  There  was 
a  great  two-handled  cross-cut  saw  .lying  on  the  ground,  arid 
Stone  seized  it  and  began  to  wave  it,  like  a  mighty  broad- 
sword, in  the  face  of  a  little  Bohemian  miner.  "Load 
them  timbers,  Hunkie,  or  I'll  carve  you  into  bits !  "  And 
as  the  terrified  man  shrunk  back,  he  followed,  until  his 
victim  was  flat  against  a  wall,  the  weapon  swinging  to  and 
fro  un<Jer  his  nose  after  the  fashion  of  "  The  Fit  and  the 
Pendulum."  "  Carve  you  into  pieces,  Ilunkie !  Carve 
you  into  stew-meat !  "  When  at  last  the  boss  stepped  back, 
the  little  Bohemian  leaped  to  load  the  timbers. 

The  curious  part  about  it  to  IJal  was  that  Stone  seemed 
to  be  reasonably  good-natured  about  such  proceedings. 
Hardly  one  time  in  a  thousand  did  he  carry  out  his  blood- 
thirsty threats,  and  like  as  not  he  would  laugh  when  he 
had  finished  his  tirade,  and  the  object  of  it  would  grin  in 
turn  —  but  without  slackening'  his  frightened  efforts. 
After  the  broad-Sword  waving  episode,  seeing  that  Hal  had 
been  watching,  the  boss  remarked,  "That's  the  way  you 
have  to  manage  them  wops."  Hal  took  this  remark  as  a 
tribute  to  his  American  blood,  and  was  duly  flatti-ml. 

He  sought  out  the  boss  that  evening,  and  found  him 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  65 

with  his  feet  upon  the  railing  of  his  home.  "  Mr.  Stone," 
said  he,  "  I've  something  I'd  like  to  ask  you." 

"  Fire  away,  kid,"'  said  the  other. 

"  Won't  you  come  up  to  the  saloon  and  have  a  drink  ?  " 

"  Want  to  get  something  out  of  me,  hey  ?  You  can't 
work  me,  kid!  "  But  nevertheless  he  slung  down  his  feet 
from  the  railing,  and  knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe  and 
strolled  up  the  street  with  Hal. 

"  Mr.  Stone,"  said  Hal,  "  I  want  to  make  a  change." 

"  What's  that  ?     Got  a  grouch  on  them  mules ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  hut  I  got  a  better  job  in  sight.  Mike  Sikoria's 
buddy  is  laid  up,  and  I'd  like'  to  take  his-  place,  if  you're 
willing." 

"Why,  that's  a  nigger's  place,  kid.  Ain't  you  scared 
to  take  a  nigger's  place?  " 

"  Why, ;  sir?" 

"  Don't:  you  know  about  lidodoos  ?  " 

"'What  I  want,"  said  Hal,'"  is  the  nigger's  pay." 

"No,"  'said  the  boss,  abruptly,  "you  stick  by  them 
mules.  Tgot  a  good  stableman,  and  I  don't  want  to  spoil 
him.  You  stick,  and  by  and  by  I'll  give  you  a  raise.  You 
go  into  them  pits,  the  first  thing  you  know  you'll  get  a  fall 
of  rock  on  your  head,  and  the  nigger's  pay  won't .  be  no 
good  to  you." 

They  came  to  the  saloon  and  entered.  Hal  noted  that  a 
silence  fell  within,  and  every  one  nodded  and  watched. 
It  was  pleasant  to  be  seen  going  out  with  one's  boss. 

O'Callahan,  the  proprietor,  came  forward  with  his  best 
society  smile  and  joined  them,. and  at  Hal's  invitation  they 
ordered  whiskies.  "  No,  you  stick  to  your  job,"  continued 
the  pit-boss.  "  You  stay  by 'it,  and  when  you've  learned 
to  manage  mules,  I'll' make  a  boss  out  of  you,  and  let  you 
manage  men." 

Some  of  the  bystanders  tittered.  The  pit-boss  poured 
down  his  whiskey,  and  set  .the  glass' on  the  bar.  "That's 
no  joke,"  said  he,  in  a  tone  that  every  one  could  Heat.  "  I 


66  KING  COAL 

learned  that  long  ago  about  niggers.  They'd  say  to  me, 
'  For  God's  sake,  don't  talk  to  our  niggers  like  that.  Some 
night  you'll  have  your  house  set  afire.'  But  I  said,  i  Pet  a 
nigger,  and  you've  got  a  spoiled  nigger.'  I'd  say,  'Nigger, 
don't  you  give  me  any  of  your  imp,  or  I'll  kick  the  breeches 
off  you.'  And  they  knew  I  was  a  gentleman,  and  they 
stepped  lively." 

"  Have  another  drink,"  said  Hal. 

The  pit-boss  drank,  and  becoming  more  sociable,  told 
nigger  stories.  On  the  sugar-plantations  there  was  a  rush 
season,  when  the  rule  was  twenty  hours'  work  a  day ;  when 
some  of  the  niggers  tried  to  shirk  it,  they  would  arrest 
them  for  swearing  or  crap-shooting,  and  work  them  as  con- 
victs, without  pay.  The  pit-boss  told  how  one  "  buck  " 
had  been  brought  before  the  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the 
charge  read,  "  being  cross-eyed  " ;  for  which  offence  he 
had  been  sentenced  to  sixty  days'  hard  labour.  This  anec- 
dote was  enjoyed  by  the  men  in  the  saloon  —  whose  race- 
feelings  seemed  to  be  stronger  than  their  class-feelings. 

When  the  pair  went  out  again,  it  was  late,  and  the  boss 
was  cordial.  "Mr.  Stone,"  began  Hal,  "I  don't  want  to 
bother  you,  but  I'd  like  first  rate  to  get  more  pay.  If  you 
could  see  your  way  to  let  me  have  that  buddy's  job,  I'd  be 
more  than  glad  to  divide  with  you." 

"  Divide  with  me?  "  said  Stone.  "  How, d'ye  mean  ?  " 
Hal  waited  with  some  apprehension  — -  for  if  Mike  had  not 
assured  him  so  positively,  he  would  have  expected  a  swing 
from  the  pit-boss's  mighty  arm. 

"  It's  worth  about  fifteen  a  month  more  to  me.  I 
haven't  any  cash,  but  if  you'd  be  willing  to  charge  off  ten 
dollars  from  my  store-account,  it  would  be  well  worth  my 
while."  .  . 

They  walked  for  a  short  way  in  silence.  "  Well,  I'll 
tell  you,"  said  the  boss,  at  last;  "that  old  Slovak  is  a 
kicker- — one  of  these  fellows  that  thinks  he  could  run  the 
mine  if  he  had  a  chance.  And  if  you  get  to  listenin'  to 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  67 

• 

him,  and  think  you  can  come  to  me  and  grumble,  by 
God—  " 

"That's- nil  right,  sir/'  put  in  Hal,  quickly.  "I'll 
manage  that  for  you  —  I'll  shut  him  up.  If  you'd  like, 
me  to,  I'll  see  what  fellows  lie  talks  with,  and  if  any  of 
them  are  trying  to  make  trouble,  I'll  tip  you  off." 

"  Now  that's  the  talk,"  said  the  boss,  promptly.  "  You 
do  that,  and  I'll  keep  my  eye  on  you  and  give  you  a  chance. 
Not  that  I'm  afraid  of  the  old  fellow  —  I  told  him  last 
time  that  if  I  heard  from  him  again,  I'd  kick  the  breeches: 
off  him.  But  when  you  got  half  a  thousand  of  this  foreign 
scum,  some  of  them  Anarchists,  and  some  of  them  Bulgars' 
and  Montynegroes  that's  been  fightin'  each  other  at 
home  -— " 

"  I  understand,"  said  Hal..    "You  have  to  watch  'em." 

"  That's  it,"  said  the  pit-boss.  "  And  by  the  way,  when 
you  tell  the  store-clerk  about  that  fifteen  dollars,  just  say 
you  lost  it  at  poker." 

"I  said  ten  dollars,"  put  in  Hal,  quickly. 

"  "^es,  I  know,"  responded  the  other.  "  But  I  said  fif- 
teen!"' 


§  22.  Hal  told  himself  with  satisfaction  that  he  was 
now  to  do  the  real  work  of  coal-mining.  His  imagination 
had  been  occupied  with  it  for, a  long  time;  but  as  so  often 
happens  in  the  life  of  man,  the  first  contact  with  reality 
killed  the  results  of  many  years'  imagining.  It  killed  all 
imagining,  in  fact;  Hal  found  that  his.  entire  stock  of 
energy,  both  mental  and  physical,  was  consumed  in  en- 
during torment.  If  any  one  bad  told  him  the  horror  of 
attempting  to  work  in  a  room  five  feet  high,  he  would  not 
have  believed  it.  It  was  like  some  of  the  dreadful  devices 
of  torture  which  one  saw  in  European  castles,  the  "iron 
maiden  "  and  the  "  spiked  collar."  Hal's  back  burned  as 
if  hot  irons  werei  being  run  up  and  down  it ;  every  separate 


68  KING  COAL 

• 

joint  and  muscle  cried  aloud.     It  seemed  as  if  he  could 
never  learn  the  lesson  of  the  jagged  ceiling  above  his  head 

—  he  bumped  it  and  continued  to  bump  it,  until  his  scalp 
was  a  mass  of  cuts  arid  bruises,  and  his  head  ached  till  he 
was  nearly  blind,  and  he  would  have  to  throw  himself  flat 
on  the  ground. 

Then  old  Mike  Sikoria  would  grin.  "  I  know.  Like 
green  mule !  Some  day  get  tough !  " 

Hal  recalled  the  great  thick  callouses  on  the  flanks  of 
his  former  charges,  where  the  harness  rubbed  against  them. 
"Yes,  I'm  a  *  green  mule/  all  right!  " 

It  was  amazing  how  many  ways  there  were  to  bruise  and 
tear  one's  fingers,  loading  lumps  of  coal  into  a  car.  He 
put  on  a  pair  of  gloves,  but  these  wore  through  in  a  day. 
And  then  the  gas,  and  the  smoke  of  powder,  stifling  one; 
and  the  terrible  burning  of  the  eyes,  from  the  dust  and.  the 
feeble  light.  There  was  no  way  to  rub  these  burning 
eyes,  because  everything  about  one  was  equally  dusty. 
Could  anybody  have  imagined  the  torment  of  that  — j  any 
of  those  ladies 'who  rode  in  softly  upholstered  parlour-cars, 
or  reclined  upon  the  decks  of  steam-ships  in  gleaming 
tropic  seas? 

Old  Mike  was  good  to  his  new  "  buddy."  Mike's  spine 
wa&  bent  and  his  hands  were  hardened  by  forty  years  of 
this  sort  of  toil^  so  he  could  do  the  work  of  two  men,  and 
entertain  his  friend  with  comments  into  the  bargain.  The 
old  fellow  had  the  habit  of  talking  all  the  time,  like  a 
dtld ;  he  would  talk  to  his  helper,  to  himself,  to  his  tools. 
He  would  call  these  tools  by  obscene  and  terrifying  names 

—  but  with  entire  friendliness  and  good  humour.     "  Get 
in  there,  you  son-of-a-gun -!  "  he  would  say  to  his  pick. 
"  Come  along  here,  you  wop-!  "  he  would  say  to  his  car. 
"  In  with  you,  now,  you  old  buster!  "  he  would  say  to  a 
lump  of  coal.     And  he  would  lecture'  Hal  on  the  details 
of  mining.     He  would  tell- stories  of  successful  days^  or 
of  terrible  mishaps.     Above  .all  he  would  tell  about  ras- 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  69 

cality  —  cursing  the  "  G.  F.  C.,"  its  foremen  and  super- 
intendents, its  officials,  directors  and  stock-holders,  and 
the  world  which  permitted  such  a  criminal  institution  to 
exist. 

Noon-time  would  come,  and  Hal  would  lie  upon  his 
back,  too  worn  to  eat.  Old 'Mike  would  sit  munching;  his 
abundant  whiskers  came  to  a  point  on  his  chin,  and  as  his 
jaws  moved,  he  looked  for  all  the  world  like  an  aged  billy1 
goat.  He  was  a  kind-hearted  and  anxious  old  billy-goat, 
and  sought  to  tempt  his  buddy  with  a  bit  of  cheese  or  a  swig 
of  cold  coffee.  He  believed  in  eating— -no  man  could 
keep  up  steam  if  he  did  not  stoke  the  furnace.  Failing  in 
this,  he  would  try  to  divert  Hal's  mind,  telling  stories  of 
mining-life  in  America  arid  Russia.  He  was  most  proud 
to  have  an  "  American  feller  "  for  a  buddy,  and  tried  to 
make  the  work  as  easy -as  possible,  for  fear  lest  Hal  might 
quit. 

Hal  did  not  quit ;  but  he  would  drag  himself  out  towards 
night,  so  exhausted  that  he  would  fall  asleep  in  the  cage. 
He  would  fall  asleep  at  supper,  and  go  in  and  sink  down 
on  his  cot  and  sleep  like  a  log.  And  oh,  the  torture  of 
being  routed  out  before  daybreak!  Having  to  shake  the 
sleep  out  of  his  head,  and  move  his  creaking  joints,  and 
become  aware  of  the  burning  in  his  eyes,  and  the  blisters 
and  sores  on  his  hands! 

It  was  a  week  before  he  had  a  moment  that  was  not 
pain;  and  he  never  got  fully  used  to  the  labour.  It  was 
impossible  for  any  one  to  work  so  hard  and  keep  his  men- 
tal alertness,  his  eagerness  and  sensitiveness;  it  was  impos- 
sible to  work  so  hard  and  be  an  adventurer  —  to  be  any- 
thing, in  fact,  but  a  machine.  Hal  had  heard  that  pfcrase 
of  contempt,  "the  inertia  of  the  masses,"  and  had  won-: 
dered  about  it.  He  no  loiiger  wondered,  he  knew.  Could 
a  man  be  brave  enough  to  protest  to  a  pit-boss  when  his 
body  was  numb  with  weariness?  Could  he  think. out  a 
definite  conclusion  as  to  his  rights  and  wrongs,  arid  back 


7.0  KING  COAL 

his  conclusion  with  effective  action,*  when,  his  mental  facul- 
ties were  paralysed  by  such  weariness  of  body  ? 

Hal  had  come  here,  as  one  goes :  upon  the  deck  of  a  ship 
in  mid-ocean,  to  see  the  storm.  In  this  ocean  of  social 
misery, , of  ignorance  and  despair,  one 'saw  upturned, .  tor- 
tured faces,  writhing  limbs  and  clutching  hands;  in  one's 
ears  was  a  storm  of  lamentation,  upon  one's  cheek  a  spray , 
of  blood  and  tears.  Hal  found  himself  so  deep  in  this 
ocean  that  he  could  no  longer  find  consolation  in  the 
thought  that  he  could  escape  whenever  he  wanted  to:  that 
he  .-could  say  to  himself,  It  is  sad,  it  is  terrible  —  but  thank 
God,  I :can  get  out  of  it  when  I  choose!  I  can  go  back 
into  the  warm  and  well-lighted  saloon  and  tell  the  other 
passengers  how, picturesque  it  is,  what  an  interesting  ex- 
perience they  are  missing ! 


§23,  ;  During  these  days  of  torment,  Hal  did  not  go 
to  see  "Bed  Mary";  but  then,  one  evening,  the  Minettis' 
baby;  having  been  sick,  she  came  in  to  ask  about  it,  bring- 
ing what  she  called  "  a  bit  of  a  custard  "  in  a  bowl.  Hal 
was  suspicious  enough  of  the  ways  of  menr  especially  of 
business-men ;  :but  when  it  came  to  women  he  was,  without 
insight  —  it  did  not  occur  to  him  as  singular  that  an  Irish 
girl  with  many  troubles  at  home  should  come  out  to  nurse 
a.  Dago  woman's  baby.  He  did  not  reflect  that  there  were 
plenty  of  sick  Irish  babies  in  the  camp,  to  whom  Mary 
might  have  taken  her  "  bit  of  a  custard."  And  when  he 
saw  the  surprise  of  Rosa,  who  had  never  met  Mary  before, 
he  took  it  to  be  the  touching  gratitude  of  the  poor! 

There  are,  in  truth,  many  kinds  of  women,  with  many 
arts,  and  no  man  has  time  to  learn  them  all.  Hal  had  ob- 
served the  shop-girl  type,  who  dress  themselves  with  many 
frills,  and  cast  side-long  glances,  and  indulge  in  fits  of 
giggles  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  male ;  he  was  familiar 
with  the  society-girl  type,  who  achieve  the  same  end  with 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  71 

more  subtle  and  alluring  means.  But  could  there  be  a 
type  who  hold  little  Dago  babies  in  their  laps,  and  call 
them  pretty  Irish  names,  and  feed  them  custard  out  of  a 
spoon  I  Hal  had  never  heard  of  that  kind,  and  he  thought 
that  "  Eed  Mary  "  made  a  charming  picture  — L  a  Celtic 
madonna  with  a  Sicilian  infant  in  her  arms. 

He  noticed  that  she  was  wearing  the  :same  faded  blue 
calico-dress  with  a  patch  on  the  shoulder.  Man  though  he 
was,  he  realised  that  dress  is  an  important  consideration 
in  the  lives  of  women.  He  was  tempted  to  suspect  that 
this  blue  calico  might  be  the  only  dress  that  Mary  owned; 
but  seeing  it  newly  laundered  every  time,  he  concluded 
that  she  must  have  at  least  one  other.  At  any  rate,  here 
she  was,  crisp  and  fresh-looking ;  and  with  the  new  shining 
costume,  she  had  put  on  the  long  promised  "  company 
manner " :  high  spirits  and  badinage,  precisely  like  any 
belle  of  the  world  of  luxury,  who  powders  and  bedecks 
herself  for  a  ball.  She  had  been  grim  and  complaining  in 
former  meetings  with-  this  interesting  young  man ;  she  had 
frightened  him  away,  apparently;  perhaps  she  could  win 
him  back  by  womanliness  and  good  humour. 

She  rallied  him  upon  his  battered  scalp  and  his  creaking 
back,  telling  him  he  looked  ten  years  older  —  which  he  was 
fully  prepared  to  believe.  Also  she  had  fun  with  him  for 
working  under  a  Slovak  —  another  loss  of  caste,  it  ap- 
peared! This  was  a  joke  the  Minettis  could  share  in  — 
especially  Little  Jerry,  who  liked  jokes.  He  told  Mary 
how  Joe  Smith  had  had  to  pay  fifteen  dollars  for  his  new 
job,  besides  several  drinks  at  O'Callahan's.  Also  he  told 
how  Mike  Sikoria  had  called  Joe  his  "  green  mule."  Lit- 
tle Jerry  complained  about  the  turn  of  events,  for  in  the 
old  days  Joe  had  taught  him  a  lot  of  fine  new  games  — 
and  now  he  was  sore,  and  would  not  play  them.  Also,  in 
the  old  days  he  had  sung  a  lot  of  jolly  songs,  full  of  the 
most  j  fascinating  rhymes.  There  was  a  song  about  a 
"  monkey  puzzle  tree  " !  Had  Mary  ever  seen  that  kind  of 


72  KHSTG  COAL 

treel'  Little  Jerry  never  got  tired  of  trying  to  imagine 
what  it  might  look  like. 

The  Dago  urchin  stood  and  watched  gravely  while  Mary 
fed  the  custard  to  the  baby;  and  when  two  or  three  spoon- 
fuls were  held  out  to  him,  he  opened  his  mouth  wide,  and 
afterwards  licked  his  lips.  Gee,  that  was  good  stufi! 

When  the  last. taste  was  gone,  he  stood  gazing  at  Mary's 
shining1  coronet.  "  Say/7  said  he,  "  was  your  hair  always 
like  that?" 

Hal  and  Mary  burst  into  laughter,  while  Rosa  cried 
"  Hush  I  "  She  was  never  sure  what  this  youngster  would 
say  next. 

"  Sure,  did  ye  think  I  painted  it?  "  asked  Mary. 

"  I  didn't  know,"  said  Little  Jerry.  "  It  looks  so  nice 
and  new."  And  he  turned  to  Hal.  "  Ain't  it  ?  " 

"  You  bet,"  said  Hal,  and  added,  "  Go  on  and  tell  her 
about  it.  Girls  like  compliments." 

"  Compliments  ? "  echoed  Little  Jerry.  "  What's 
that?" 

"Why,"  said  Hal,  "that's  when  you  say  that  her  hair 
is  like  the  sunrise,  and  he*  eyes  are  like  twilight,  or  that 
she's  a  wild  rose  on  a  mountain-side."  '••• 

"Oh,"  said  the  Dago  urchin,  somewhat  doubtfully. 
"Anyhow,"  he  added,  "  she  make  nice  custard !  " 

§  24.  The  time  came  for  Mary  to  take  her  departure, 
and  Hal  got  up,  wincing  with  pain,  to  escort  her  home. 
She  Regarded  him  gravely,  having  not  realised  before  how 
seriously  he  was  suffering.  As  they  walked  along  she 
asked,  "  Why  do  ye  do  such  work,  when  ye  don't  have 
to?;" 

"  But, I  do  have  to!     I  have  to  earn  a  living!  " 

"  Ye  don't  have  to  earn  .it  .that  way !  \  A  bright  young 
fellow  like  ypu  -*— •  an  American !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Hal,  "I  thought  it  would  be  interesting 
to(  see  coal  mining." 


THE  DOMAIN  OE  KING  C6AL  73 


"  Now  ye've  seen  it,"  said  the  girl  — "  now  quit!  " 
"  But  it  won't  do  me  any  harm  to  go  on  for  a  while !  " 
•  "  Won't  it  !t     How  can  ye  know?     When  any  day  they 
may  carry  you  out  on  a  plank  !• " 

Her  "  company  manner  "  was  gone;  her  voice  was  full 
of  bitterness,  as  it  always  was  when  she  spoke  of  North 
Valley.  "  I  know  what  I'mtellin3  ye,  Joe  Smith.  Didn't 
1  lose  two  brothers  in  it  —  as  fine  lads  as  ye'd  find  any- 

•  where  in  the  world!     And  many  another  lad  I've  seen  go 
in  laughin',  and  come  out  a  corpse  —  or  what  is  worse,  for 
workin'  people,  a  cripple.     Sometimes  I'd  like  to  go  and 
stand  at  the  pitrinouth  in  the  mornin'  and  cry  to  them,  *  Go 
back,  go  back!     Go  down  the  canyon  this  .day!     Starve, 
if  ye  have  to,  beg  if  ye  have  to,  only  find  some  other  work 

..but  coal-minin' !  ' 

Her  voice  had  risen  to  a  passion  of  protest;  when  she 
went  on, a  new  note  carne  into  it  —  a  note  of  personal 

•  terror.     "  It's  worse  now* —  since  you  came,  Joe !     To  see 
ye  settin'  out  on  the  life  of  a  miner  —  you,  that  are  young 
and  strong  and  different.     Oh,  go  away,  Joe,  go  away 
while  ye  can  !  " 

He  was  -  astonished  at  her  intensity.  "Don't  worry 
about  me,  Mary,"-  he  said.  "  Nothing  will  happen  to  me. 
I'll  go  away  after  a  while." 

The  path  was  irregular,  and  he  had  been  holding  her 
arm  as  they  walked.  He  felt  her  trembling,  and  went 
on  again,  quickly, ."  It's  not  I  that  should  go  a  way,  Mary. 
It's  yourself.  You  hate  the  place  —  it's  terrible  for  you 
to  have  to  live  here.  Have  you  never  thought  of  going 
away  ?  " 

She  did  not  answer  at  once,  and  when  she  did  the  ex- 
.'  citement  was  gone  from  her  voice ;  it  was  flat  and  dull  with 
despair.  ,a  Tis  no  use  to  think  of  me.  There's  nothin' 
I  can  do  —  there's  nothin7  any  girl  can  do  when  she's  poor. 
I've  tried  —  but  'tis  like  bein'  up  against  a  stone  wall.  I 
can't  even  save  the  money  to  get  on  a  train  with!  I've 


74  KING  COAL 

tried  it  —  I  been  savin'  for  two  years  —  and  how  much 
d'ye  think  I  got,  Joe  ?•  Seven  dollars !  Seven  dollars  in 
two  years !  No  —  ye  can't  save  money  in  a  place  where 
there's  so  many  things  that  wring  the  heart.  Ye  may 
hate  them  for  being  cowards  —  but  ye  must  help  when  ye 
see  a  man  killed,  and  his  family  turned  out  without  a  roof 
to  cover  them  in  the  winter-time !  " 

"  You're  too  tender-hearted,  Mary."      M 

"  No,  'tis  not  that !  Should  I  go  off  and  leave  me  own 
brother  and  sister,  that  need  me  ?  " 

"  But  you  could  earn  money  and  send  it  to  them." 

"  I  earn  a  little  here  —  I  do  cleanin'  and  nursin'  for 
some  that  need  me." 

"  But  outside  —  couldn't,  you  earn  more  ?  " 

"  I  could  get  a  job  in  a  restaurant  for  seven  or  eight  a 
week,  but  I'd  have  to  spend  more,  and  what  I  sent  home 
would  not  go  so  far,  with  me  away.  Or  I  could  get  a  job 
in  some  other  woman's  home,  and  work  fourteen  hours  a 
day  for  it.  But,  Joe,  'tis  not  more '  drudgery  I  want,  'tis 
somethin'  fair  to  look  upon  —  somethin'  of  my  own !  " 
She  flung  out  her  arms  suddenly  like  one  being  stifled. 
"  Oh,  I  want  somethin'  that's  fair  and  clean!  " 

Again  he  felt  her  trembling.  Again  the  path  was 
rough,  and  having  an  impulse  of  sympathy, 'he  put  his  arm 
about  her.  In  the  world  of  leisure,  one  might  indulge  in 
such  consider ateness,  and  he  assumed  it  would  not  be  dif- 
ferent with  a  miner's  daughter.  But  then,  when  she  was 
close  to  him,  he  felt,  rather  than  heard,  a  sob. 

"Mary!"  he  whispered;  and  they  stopped;  Almost 
without  realising  it,  he  put  his  other  arm  about  her,  and  in 
a  moment  more  he  felt  her  warm  breath  on  his  cheek,  and 
she  was  trembling  and  shaking  in  his  embrace.  "  Joe! 
Joe!"  she  whispered-  ""  You  take  me  away!" 

She  was  a  rose  in  a  mining-camp,  and  Hal  was  deeply 
moved.  The  primrose  path  of  dalliance  stretched  fair 
before  him,  here  in  the  soft  summer  night,  with  a  moon 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  75 

overhead  which  bore  the  same  message  as  it  bore  in  the 
Italian  gardens  of  the  leisure-class.  But  not  many  min- 
utes passed  before  a  cold  fear  began  to  steal  over 'Hal. 
There  was  a  girl  at  home,  waiting  for  him ;  and  also  there 
was  the  resolve  which  had,  been  growing  in  him  since  his 
coming  to  this  place — -  a  resolve  to  find  some  way  of  com- 
pensation to  the  poor,  to  repay  them  for  the  freedom  and 
culture  he  had  taken;  not  to1  prey  upon  them,  upon  any 
individual  among  them.  There  were  the  Jeff  Cottons  for 
that ! 

"Mary,"  he  pleaded,  "  we  mustn't  do  this." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  —  I'm  not  free.     There  is  some  one  else."' 

He  felt  her  start,  but  she  did  not  draw  away. 
"  Where  ?  "  she  asked,  in  a  low  voice. .  * 

"  At  home,  waiting  for  me." 

"  And  why  didn't  ye  tell  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

Hal  realised  in  a  moment  that  the  girl  had  ground 
of  complaint  against  him.  According  to  the  simple  co'de 
of  her  world,  he  had  gone  some  distance  with  her ;  he  had 
been  seen  to  walk  out  with  her,  he  had  been  accounted 
her  "  fellow."  He  had  led  her  to  talk  to  him  of  herself  v — 
he  had  insisted  upon  having  her  confidences.  And  these 
people  who  were  poor  did  not  have  subtleties,  there  was  no 
room  in  their  lives  for  intellectual  curiosities,, for  Platonic 
friendships  or  philandenngs.  "Forgive  me,  Mary!  "  he 
said. 

She  made  no  answer;  but  a  sob  escaped  her,  and  she 
drew  back  from  his  arms  - —  slowly.  Hd  struggled  with 
an  impulse  to  clasp  her  again.  She  was  beautiful,  warm 
'with  life  —  and  so  much  in  need  of  happiness! 

But  he  held  himself  in  check,  and  for  a  minute  or  two 
they  stood  apart.  Then  he  asked,  humbly,  "  We  can  still 
be  friends,  Mary,  can't  we?  You  must  know  —  I'm  so 
sorry ! " 


7.6  KING  COAL 

But  she  could  not  endure  being  pitied.  "  'Tis  nothin'," 
she  said.  "  Only  I  thought  I  was  going  to  get  away ! 
That's* what  ye  mean  to  me," 


§  25.  Hal  had  promised  Alec  Stone  to  keep  a  look-out 
for  trouble-makers ;  and  one  evening  the  boss  stopped  him 
on  the  street,  and  asked  him  if  he  had  anything  to  report. 
Hal  took  the  occasion  to  indulge  his  sense  of  humour. 

"  There's  no  harm  in  Mike  Sikoria,  said  he.  "  He 
likes  to  shoot  off  his  head,  but  if  he's  got  somebody  to 
listen,  that's  all  he  wants.  He's  just  old  and  grouchy. 
But  there's  another  fellow  that  I  think  would  bear  watch- 

ing." 

"  Who's  that  ?  "-asked  the  boss. 

"  I  don't  know  his  last  name.  They  call  him  Gus  and 
he's  a  '  eager.'  Fellow  with  a  red  face." 

"  I  know,"  said  Stone — "  Gus  Durking." 

"  Well,  he  tried  his  best  to  get  me  to  talk  about  unions. 
He  keeps  bringing  it; up,  and  I  think  he's  some  kind  of 
trouble.-maker." 

"  I  see,"  said  the  boss.    ."  I'll  get :  after  him." 

"  You  won't  say  I  told  you,"  said  Hal,  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  no  —  sure  not."  And  Hal  caught  the  trace  of  a 
smile  on  the  pit-boss's  face. 

He  went  away,  smiling  in  his  turn.  The  "  red-faced 
feller,  Gus,"  was  the  person  Madvik  htid  named  as  being 
a  "  spotter  "  for  the  company ! 

There  were  ins  and  outs  to  this  matter  of  "  spotting," 
and  sometimes  it  was  not  easy  to  know  what  to  think.  One 
Sunday  morning  Hal  went  for  a  walk  up  the  canyon,  and 
on  the  way  he  met  a  young -chap  who  got  to  talking  with 
him,  and  after  /a  while  brought  up  the  -question  of  work- 
ing-conditions in  iNorth  Valley.  He  had  only  been  there 
a  week,  he  said,  but  everybody  he  had  met  seemed  to  be 
grumbling  about  short  weight.  He  himself  had  a  job  as 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  .COAL  77 

an  "outside  man,"" so  it  made  no  difference  to  him,  but 
he  was  interested,  and'  wondered  what  Hal  had  found. 

Straightway  came  the  question,  was  this  really  a  wbrk- 
ingman,  or  had  Alec  Stone  set  some  one  to  spying  upon 
his  spy.  This  was  an  intelligent  fellow,  an  American  — 
which  in  itself  was  suspicions,  for  most  of  the  new  men  ther 
company  got  in  were  from  "  somewhere  East  of  Suez." 

Hal  decided  to  spar  for  a  while.  He  did  not  know,  he 
said,  that  conditions  were  any  worse  here  than  elsewhere. 
You  heard  complaints,  no  matter  what  sort  of  job  you  took. 

Yes,  said  the  stranger,  but  matters  seemed  to  be  espe- 
cially bad  in  the  coal-camps.  Probably  it  was  because 
they  were  so  remote,  and  the  companies  owned  eterything 
in  sight, 

"  Where  have  you  been?  "  asked  Hal,  thinking  that  this 
might  trap  him. 

But  the  other  answered  straight;  he  had  evidently 
worked  in  half  a,  do£en  qf  the  camps.  In  Mateo  he  had 
paid  a  dollar  a  month  for  wash-house  privileges,  and  there 
had  never  been  any  water  after  the  first  three  men  had 
washed.  There  had  been  a  common  wash-tub  for  all  the- 
men,  an  unthinkably  filthy  arrangement.  At  Pine  Creek 
—  Hal  found  the  very  naming  of  the  place  made  his  heart 
stand  still  —  at  Pine  Creek  he  had  boarded  with  his  boss, 
but  the  roof,  of  the  building  leaked,  and  everything  he 
owned  was  ruined ;  the  boss  would  do  nothing —  yet  when 
the  boarder  moved,  he  lost  his  job.  At  East  Ridge-,  this 
man  and  a  couple  of  other  fellows  had  rented  a  two  room 
cabin  and  started  to  board  themselves,  in  spite  of  the  fact1 
that  they  had  to  pay  a  dollar-fifty  a  sack  for  potatoes  and 
eleven  cents  a  pound  for  sugar  at  the  company  store. 
They  had  continued  until  they  made  the  discovery  that  the 
water  supply  had  run  short,  and  that  the  water  for  which 
they  were  paying  the  company  a  dollar  a  month  was  being 
pumped  from  the  bottom  of  the  mine,  where  the  filth  of 
mules  and  men  was  plentiful! 


7S  KING  COAL 

Hal  forced  himself  to  remain  non-committal;  he  shook 
his  head  and  said  it  was  too  bad,,  but  the  workers  always 
got  it'  in  the  .neck,  and  he  didn't  see  what  they  could  do 
about  it.  So  they  strolled  back  to  the  camp,  the  stranger 
evidently  baffled,  and,  Hal,  for  his  part,  feeling  like  the 
reader  of  a  detective  story  at  the  end  of  the  first  chapter. 
Was.  this  young  man  the  murderer,  or  was  he  the  hero? 
One  would  have  to  read  on  in  the  book  to  find  out ! 


§  26.  Hal  kept  his  eye  upon  his  new  acquaintance,  and 
perceived  that  he  .was  talking  with  others.  Before  long 
the  man  tackled  Old  Mike;  and  Mike  of  course  could  not 
refuse  an  invitation  to  grumble,  though  it  came  from  the 
devil  .himself.  Hal  decided  that  something  must  be  done 
about  it. 

He  consulted  his  friend  Jerry,  who,  being  a  radical, 
might  have  some  touch-stone  by  which  to  test  the  stranger, 
Jerry  sought  him  out  at  noon-time,  and  came  back  and 
reported  that  he  was  as  much  in  the  dark  as  Hal.  Either 
the  man  was  an  agitator,  seeking  to  "  start  something," 
or  else  he  was  a  detective  sent  in  by  the  company.  There 
was  only  one  way  to  find  out  —  which  was  for  some  one 
to  talk  freely  with  him,  and  see  what  happened  to  that 
person ! 

After  some  hesitation,  Hal  decided  that  he  would  be 
the  victim.  It  rewakened  his  love,  of  adventure,  which 
digging  in  a  coal-mine  had  subdued  in  him.  The  mys- 
terious stranger  was  a  new  sort  of.  miner,  digging  into  the 
souls  of  men;  Hal  would  countermine  him,  and  perhaps 
blow  him  up.  He  could  afford  the  experiment  better  than 
some  others  —  better,  for  example,  than  little  Mrs.  David, 
who  had  already  taken  the  stranger  into  her  home,  and 
revealed  to  him  the  fact  that  her  husband  had  been  a 
member  of  the  most  revolutionary  of  all  miners'  organisa- 
tions, the  South  Wales  Federation. 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL      .       78 

•  So  next  Sunday  Hal  invited  the  stranger  for  another 
walk.  The  man  showed  reluctance  —  until  Hal  said  that 
he  wanted  to  talk  to  him.  As  they  walked  up  the  canyon, 
Hal  began,  "  I've  been  thinking  about  what  you  said  of 
conditions  in  these  camps,  and  I've,  concluded  it  would 
be  a  good  thing  if  we  had  a  little  shaking  up  here  in  North 
Valley." 

"  Is  that  so  ?  "  said  the  other. 

"  When  I  first  came  here,  I  used  to  think  the  men  were 
grouchy.  But  now  I've  had  a  chance  to  see  for  myself, 
and  I  don't  believe  anybody  gets  a  square  deal.  For  one 
thing,  nobody  gets  full  weight  in  these  mines  —  at  least 
not  unless  he's  some  favourite  of  the  boss.  I'm  sure  of  it, 
for  I've  tried  all  sorts  of  experiments  with  my  partner. 
We've  loaded  a  car  extra  light,  and  got  eighteen  hundred- 
weight, and  then  we've  loaded  one  high  and  solid,  so  that 
we'd  know  it  had  twice  as  much  in  it  —  but  all  we  ever 
got  was  twenty-two  and  twenty-three.  There's  just  no 
way  you  can  get  over  that  —  though  everybody  knows 
those  big  cars  can  be  made  to  hold  two  or  three  tons." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  they  might,"  said  the  other. 

"  And'  (if  you  get  the  smallest  piece  of  rock  in,  you  get 
a  '  double-O,'  sure  as  fate ;  and  sometimes  they  say  you  got 
rock  in  when  you  didn't.  There's  no  law  to  make  them 
prove  it." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not." 

"  What  it  comes  to  is  simply  this  • —  they  make  you 
think  they  are  paying  fifty-five  a  ton,  but  they've  secretly 
cut  you  down  to  thirty-five.  And  yesterday  at  the  com- 
pany-store I  paid  a  dollar  and  a  half  for  a  pair  of  blue 
overalls  that  I'd  priced  in  Pedro  for  sixty  cents." 

"  Well,"  said  the  other,  "  the  company  has  to  haul  them 
up  here,  you  know !  " 

So,  gradually,  Hal  /made  the  discovery  that  the  tables 
were  turned  —  the  mysterious  personage  was  now  occu- 
ied  in  holding  him  at  arm's  length !  For  some  reason, 


p 


80  KDTO  COAL 

Hal's  sudden  interest  in  industrial  justice  had  failed  to 
make  an  impression. 

So  his  career  as  a  detective  came  to  an  inglorious  end. 
"•Say,  -man!*' -he  exclaimed  "What's  your  game,  any- 
how?" 

"Game?"  said  the  other,  'quietly.  "  How  do  you 
mean  ? " 

"  I  mean,  what  are  you  here  for  ?  "  •  • 

"  I'm  here  for  two  dollars  a 'day  —  the  same  as  you,  I 
guess. " 

Hal  began  to  laugh.  "  You  and  I  are  like  a  couple  of 
submarines,  trying  to  find  each  other  under  water.  I 
think  we'd  better,  come  to  the  surface  to  do  our  fighting." 

The  other  considered  the  simile,  and  seemed  to  like  it. 
"  You  come  first,-'7  said  he.  But  he  did  not  smile.  His 
quiet  blue  eyes  were  fixeol  on  Hal  with  deadly  serious- 
ness. 

"All  right,"  said  Hal;  "my  story  isn't  very  thrilling. 
I'm-  not  an  escaped  convict,  I'm  not  a  company  spy,  as  you/ 
may  be  thinking.  Nor  am  I  a  '  natural  born  '  coal-miner. 
I  happen  to  have  a  brother  and  some  friends  at  home  who 
think  they  know  about  the  coal-industry,  and  it  got  on 
my  nerves,  and  I  came  to  see  for  myself. .  That's  all,  ex- 
cept that  I've  found  things  interesting,  and  want  to  stay 
on  a  while,  so  I  hope  you  aren't  a  'dick  ? !  " 

The  other  walked  in  silence,  weighing  Hal's  words. 
"That's  mot*  exactly  what  you'd  call  a  usual  story,"  he 
remarked,  at  last. 

"I  know,"  replied  Hal.  "  The  best  I  can  say  for  it 
is  that  it's  true." 

"  Well,"  said  the  stranger,  "I'll  take  a  chance  on  it. 
I; have  to  trust  somebody,  if  I'm  ever  to  get  anywhere.  I 
picked  you  out  because  I  liked  your  face."  He  gave  Hal 
another- 'Searching  look  as  he  walked.  "Your  s'milc  isn't 
that  of  a -cheat.  But  you're  young  — so  let 'me  remind 
yon  of  the  importance  of  secrecy  in  this  place." 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  81 

« 

v "  I'll  keep  mum,'7  said  Hal;  and  the  stranger  opened  a 
flap  inside  his  shirt,  and  drew  out  a  letter  which  certified 
him  to  be  Thomas  Olson,  an  organiser  for  the  United 
Mine- Workers,  the  great  national  union  of  the  coal-miners ! 


§27.  Hal  was  so  startled  by  this  discovery  that  he 
stopped  in  his  tracks  and  gazed  at  the  man.  He  had 
heard  a  lot  about  "  trouble-makers  "  in  the  camps,  but  so 
far  the  only  kind  he  had  seen  were  those  hired  by  the  coni- 
-pany  to  make  trouble  for  the  men.  But  now,  here  was  a 
?union  organiser !  Jerry  had  suggested  the  possibility,  but 
'•Hal  had  not  thought  of  it  seriously;  an  organiser  was  a 
mythological  creature,  whispered  about  by  the  .miners, 
leursed  by  the  company  and  its  servants,  and ;  by  Hal's 
.;friends  at  home.  An  incendiary,  a  fire-brand,  a  loud- 
-  mouthed,  irresponsible  person,  stirring  up  blind  and  dan- 
gerous passions!  Having  heard  such  things  all  his  life, 
Hal's  first  impulse  was  of  distrust.  He  felt  like  the  one- 
pegged  old  switchman  who  had  given  him  a  place  to  sleep, 
'after  his  beating  at  Pine  Creek,  and  who  had  said,  "  Don't 
you  talk  no  union  business  to  me !  " 

Seeing  Hal's  emotion,  the  organiser  gave1  an  uneasy 
laugh.  "While  you're  hoping  I'm  not  a  '  dick,'  I  trust 
you  understand  I'm  hoping  you're  not  one." 

Hal's  answer  was  to  the  point.  •"  I  was  taken  for  an 
organiser  once,"  he  said,  and  his  hands  sought  the  seat  of 
his  ancient  bruises. 

The1- other  laughed.  "  You  got  off  with  a  beating?  You 
were  lucky.  Down  in  Alabama,  not  so  long  ago,  they 
tarred  and  feathered  one  of  us." 

Dismay  came  upon  Hal's  face;  but  after  a  moment  he 
too  began  to  laugh.  "I  was  just  thinking  about  my 
'brother  and  iris  friends  —  what  they'd  have  said  if  I'd 
come  home  Irom  Pine  Creek  in  a  coat  of  tar  and  feath- 
ers!" 


82  KING  COAL 

% 

"•  Possibly,"  ventured  the  other,  "  they'd  have  said  you 
got  what  you  deserved." 

"  Yes,  that  seems  to  be  their  attitude.  That's  the  rule 
they  apply  to  all. the  world  —  if  anything  goes  wrong  with 
you,  it  must  be  your  own  fault.  It's  a  land  of  equal 
opportunity." 

u  And  you'll  notice,"  said  the  organiser,  "  that  the  more 
privileges  people  have  had,  the  more  boldly  they  talk  that 
way." 

Hal  began  to  feel  a  sense  of  comradeship  with  this 
stranger,  who  was  able  to  understand  one's  family  trou- 
bles !  It  had  been  a  long  time  since  Hal  had  talked  with 
any  one  from  the  outside  world,  and  he  found  it  a  relief 
to  his  mind.  He  remembered  how,  after  he  had  got  his 
beating,  he  had  lain  out  in  the  rain  and  congratulated 
himself  that  he  was  not  what  the  guards  had  taken  him 
for.  Now  he  was  curious  about  the  psychology  of  an  or- 
ganiser. A  man  must  have  strong  convictions  to  follow 
that  occupation ! 

He  made  the  remark,  and  the  other  answered,  "  You 
can  have  my  pay  any  time  you'll  do  my  work.  .But  let 
me  tell  you,  too,  it  isn't  being  beaten  and  kicked  out  of 
camp  that  bothers  one  most ;  it  isn't  the  camp-marshal  and 
the  spy  and  the  blacklist.  Your  worst  troubles  are  in- 
side the  heads  of  the  fellows  you're  trying  to  help! 
Have  you  ever  thought  what  it  would  mean  to  try  to 
explain  things  to  men  who  speak  twenty  different  lan- 
guages ?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course,"  said  Hal.  "  I  wonder  how  you  ever 
get  a  start." 

"  Well,  you  look  for  an  interpreter  —  and  maybe  he's 
a  company  spy.  '  Or  maybe  the  first  man  you  try  to  con- 
vert reports  you  to  the  boss.  For,  of  course,  some  of  the 
men  are  cowards,  and  some  of  them  are  crooks;  they'll  sell 
out  the  next  fellow  for  a  better  '  place 7t — »maybe  for  a 
glass  of  beer." 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  S3 

"  That  must  have  a  tendency  to  weaken  your  coiivic- 
tions,"  said  Hal. 

"  No/'  said  the  other,  in  a  matter  of  fact  tone.  "  It's 
hard,  but  one  can't  blame  the  poor  devils.  They're  ig- 
norant —  kept  so  deliberately.  The  bosses  bring  them 
•here,  and  have  a  regular  system  to  keep  them  from  getting 
together.  And  of  course  these*  European  peoples  have 
their  old  prejudices  —  national  prejudices,  religious 
prejudices,  that  keep  them  apart.  You  see  two  fellows, 
one  you  think  is  exactly  a*s  miserable  as  the  other— —  but 
you  find  him  despising  the  other,  because  back  home  he 
'was  the  other's  superior.  So  they  play  into  the  bosses' 
hands." 


§  28.  They  had  come  to  a  remote  place  in  the  canyon, 
and  found  themselves  seats  on  a  flat  rock,  where  they 
could  talk  in  comfort. 

"  Put  yourself  in  their  place,"  said  the  organiser. 
"  They're  in  a  strange  country,  and  one  person  tells  them 
one  thing,  and  another  tells  them  something  else.  The 
masters  and  their  agents  say:  'Don't  trust  the  union 
agitators.  They're  a  lot  of  grafters,  they  live -easy  and 
don't  have  to  work.  They  take  your  money  and  call  you 
out  on  strike,  and  you  lose  your  jobs  and  your  home;  they 
sell  you  out,  maybe,  and  go  on  to  some  other  place  to 
repeat  the  same  trick.'  And  the  workers  think  maybe 
that's  true';  they  haven't  the  wit  to  see  that  if  this  Union 
leaders  are  corrupt,  it  must  be  because  the  bosses  are  buy- 
ing them.  So  you  see,  they're  completely  bedevilled';  they 
don't  know  which  way  to  turn;" 

The  man  was  speaking  quietly,  but  there  was  a  little 

'low  of  excitement  in  his  face.     "  The  company  is  forever 

repeating  that  these  people  are  satisfied -^  that  it's  we 

who    are    stirring    them    up.     But    are    they    satisfied? 

You've  been  here  long  enough  to  know !  " 


84  .--KING  COAL 

"  There's  no  need  to  discuss  that/7  Hal  answered.  "  Of 
course  they're  not  satisfied !  They've  seemed  to  me  like  a 
lot  of  children  crying  in  the .  dark  —  not  knowing  what's 
the  matter  with  them,  or  who's  to  blame,  or  where  to  turn 
for  help." 

Hal  found  himself  losing  his  distrust  of  this  man.  He 
did  not  correspond  in  any  way  to  Hal's  imaginary  picture 
of  a  union  organiser;  he  was  a  blue-eyed,  clean-looking 
ypung  American,  and  instead  of  being  wild  and  loud- 
mouthed, he  seemed  rather  wistful.  He  had  indignation, 
.of  course,  but  it  did  iiot  take  the  form  of  ranting  or  florid 
eloquence ;  and  this  repression  was  making  its,  appeal  to 
Hal,  who,  in  spite  of  his  democratic  impulses,  had  the 
habits  of  thought  of  a  class  which  shrinks  from  noisiness 
and  over-emphasis. 

Also  Hal  was  interested  in  his  attitude  towards  the 
weaknesses  of  working-people.  The  "  inertia "  of  the 
poor,  which  caused  so  many  people  to  despair  for  them  — 
their  cowardice  and  instability  —  these  were  things  about 
which  Hal  had  heard  all  his  life.  "  You  can't  help  them," 
people  would  say.  "They're  dirty  and  lazy,  they  drink 
and  shirk,  they  betray  each  other.  They've  always  been 
;like  that."  The  idea  would  be  summed  up  in  a  formula: 
.."  You  can't  change  human  nature!  "  Even  Mary  Burke, 
herself  one  of  the  working-c,lass,  spoke  of  the  workers  in 
this  angry  and  scornful  way.  But  Olson  had  faith  in 
their  manhood,  and  went  ahead  to  awaken  and  teach  them. 

To  his  mind  the  path  was  clear  and  straight.  "They 
must  be  taught  the  lesson  of  solidarity.  As  individuals, 
they're  helpless  in  the  power  of  the  great  corporations ; 
but  if  they  stand  together,  if  they  sell  their  labour  as  a 
unit  — then  they  really  count  for  something."  He  paused, 
and  looked  at  the  other  inquiringly.  "  flow  do  you  feel 
about  unions  ?  " 

Hal  answered,  "They're  one  of  the  things  I  want  to 
find  out  about.  You  hear  this  and  that  —  there's  so  much 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  85 

prejudice  -on  each  side.  I  want  to  help  the  under  dog, 
but  I  want  to  be  sure  of  the  right  way." 

"  What  other  way  is  there?"  And  Olson  ^  paused. 
"  To  appeal  to  the  tender  hearts  of  the  owners  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly ;  but  mightn't  one  appeal  to  the  world 
in  general  —  to  public  opinion  ?  I  was  brought  up  a-n 
American,  and  learned  to  believe  in  my  country.  I  can't 
think  but  there's  some  way  to  get  justice.  Maybe  if  the 
men  were  to  go  into  politics  — " 

"  Politics  ?  "  cried  Olson.  "  My  God !  How  long  have 
you  been  in  this  place  \  " 

"  Only  a  couple  of  months." 

"Well,  stay  till  November,  and  see  wihat  they  do  with 
the  ballot-boxes  in  these  camps!  " 

"  I  can  imagine,  of  course  — " 

"  No,  you  can't.  Any  more  than  you  could  imagine 
the  graft  and  the  misery !  " 

"  But  if  the  men  should  take  to  voting  together  — " 

"  How  can  they  take  to  voting  together  —  when  any  one 
who  mentions  the  idea  goes  down  the  canyon?  Why,  you 
can't  even  get  naturalisation  papers,  unless  you're  a  com- 
pany man ;  they  won't  register  you,  unless  the  boss  gives 
you  an  O.  K.  How  are  you  going  to  make  a  start,  unless 
you  'have  a  union  ?  " 

It  sounded  reasonable,  Hal  had  to  admit ;  but  he  thought 
of  the  stories  he  had  heard  about  "  walking  delegates,"  all 
the  dreadful  consequences  of  "  union  domination."  He 
had  not  meant  to  go  in  for  unionism ! 

Olson  was  continuing.  "  We've  had  laws  passed,  a 
whole  raft  of  laws  about  coal-mining  —  the  eight-hour 
law,  the  anti-scrip  law,  the  company-store  law,  the  mine- 
sprinkling  law,  the  check-weighman  law.  What  differ- 
ence has  it  made  in  North  Valley  that  there  are  such  laws 
on  the  statute-books?  Would  you  ever  even  know  about 
them  ?  " 

"  Ah,  now !  "  said  Hal.     a  If  you  put  it  that  way  — 


86  KING  COAL 

if  your  movement  is  to  have  the  law  enforced —  I'm  with 
you !  " 

"•But  how  will  you  get  the  law  enforced,  except  by  a 
union?  '  No  individual  man  can  do  it  —  it's  '  down  the 
•canyon ''with  him  if  he  mentions  the  law.  .  In  Western 
City  our  union  people  go  to  the  state  officials,. -hut. they 
never,  do  anything  - —  and  why  ?  They  know  we  haven't 
got  the:men  behind  us!  It's  the  same  with  the  politicians 
as  it  is  with  the  bosses  • —  the  union  is  the  thing  that 
counts !  " 

Hal  found  this  an  entirely  new  argument.  "  People 
don't  realise  that  idea  —  that  men  have  to  bo  organised  to 
get  their  legal  rights.'7 

And  the  other  threw  up  his  hands  with  a  corni'cal  ges- 
ture. "My  God!  If  you  want  to  make  a  list  of  the 
things  that  people  don't  realise  about  us  miners !  " 


§  29.  Olson  was  eager  to  win  Hal,  land  went:on  to  tell 
all  the  secrets  of  his  work.  He  sought  men  who  believed 
in  unions,  and  were  willing  to  take  the  risk  of  trying  to 
convert  others.  In  each  place  he  visited  he  would  get  a 
group  together,  and  would  arrange  sonie  way  to  communi- 
cate with  them  after  he  left,  smuggling  in,  propaganda 
literature  fqr  distribution.  So  there  would  be-; the  nucleus 
of  an  organisation.  In  a  year  or  two  they  would  have 
such  a  nucleus  in  every  cainp,  and  thqn,  thqy  would  be 
;  ready  to  come  into  the  open,  calling  .meetings  in.  the  towns, 
and  in  places  in  the  .canyons  to  which  the  miners  would 
flock.  So  the  flame  of ,  revolt  Would  leap  up  ;.  men:  would 
join  the  movement  faster  than  the  companies  could  get 
rid  of  them,  and  they  would  make  a  demand  for  their 
rights,  backed  with  the  threat  of  a  strike  throughout  the 
entire  district. 

"  You  understand,"  added  Olson,  "  we  have  a  legal,  right 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  87 

to  organise  —  even  though  the  bosses  disapprove.  You 
need  not  stand  back  on  that  Score." 

"  Yes/7  said  Hal ;  "  but  it  occurs  to  me  that  as  a  matter 
of  tactics,  it  would  be  better  here  in  North  Valley  if  you 
chose  some  issue  there's  less  controversy  about;  if,  for 
instance,  you'd  concentrate  on  getting  a  check-weighman." 

The  other  smiled.  "  We'd  have  to  have  a  union  to  back 
the  demand ;  so  what's  the  difference  ?  " 

"•Well,"  argued  Hal,  "there  are  prejudices  to  be  reck- 
oned with.  Some  people  don't  like  the  idea  of  a  union  — 
they  think  it  means  tyranny  and  violence  — " 

The  organiser  laughed.  "  You  aren't  convinced  but 
that  it  does  yourself,  are  you !  Well,  all  I  can  tell  you  is, 
if  you  want  to  tackle  the  job  of  getting  a  check-weighman 
in  North  Valley,  I'll  not  stand  in  your  way !  " 

Here  was  an  idea  —  a  real  idea!  Life  had  grown  dull 
for  Hal  since  he  had  become  a  buddy,  working  in  a  place 
five  feet  high.  This  would  promise  livelier  times ! 

But  was  it  a  thing  he  wanted  to  do?  So  far  he  had 
been  an  observer  of  conditions  in  this  coal-camp.  He  had 
convinced  himself  that  conditions  were  cruel,  and  he 
had  pretty  well  convinced  himself  that  the  cruelty  was 
needless  and  deliberate.  But  when  it  came  to  a  question 
of  an  action  to  be  taken  —  then  he  hesitated,  and  old 
prejudices  and  fears  made  themselves  heard.  He  had  been 
told  that  labour  was  ".  turbulent "  and  "  lazy,"  that  it  had 
to  be  "  ruled  with  a  strong  hand  " ;  now,  was  he  willing 
to  weaken  the  strong  hand,  to  ally  himself  with  those  who 
"  fomented  labour  troubles  "  ? 

But  this  would  not  be  the  same  thing,  he  told  himself. 
This  suggestion  of  Olson's  was  different  from  trade  union- 
ism, which  might  be  a  demoralising  force,  leading  the 
workers  from  one  demand  to  another,  until  they  were 
seeking  to  "  dominate  industry."  This  would  be  merely 
an  appeal  to  the  law,  a  test  of  that  honesty  and  fair  dealing 
to  which  the  company  everywhere  laid  claim.  If,  as  the 


88  KING  COAL 

bosses  proclaimed,  the  workers  were  fully  protected  ty  the 
check-weighman  law;  if,  as  all  the  world  was  made  to  be- 
lieve, the  reason  there  was  no  check-weighman  was  simply 
.because  the  men  did  not  ask  for  one— ?- why,  then  there 
would  l?e  no  harm  done.  If  on  the  other  hand  a  demand 
for  a  right  that  was  not  merely  a  legal  right,  but  a  moral 
right  as  well  — if  that  were  taken  by  the  bosses  as  an  act 
of  rebellion  against  the  company  —  well,  Hal  would  un- 
derstand a  little  more  about  the  "  turbulence "  of  labour! 
If,  as  Old  Mike  and  Johannson  and  the  rest  maintained, 
the  bosses  would  "  make  your  life  one  damn  misery  "  till 
you  left  —  then  he  would  be  ready  to  make  .a  few  damn 
miseries  for  the  bosses  in  return ! 

"It  would  be  an  adventure,"  said  Hal,  suddenly. 

And  the  other  laughed.     "It  would  that!  " 

"  You're  thinking  I'll  have  another  Pine  Creek  experi- 
ence," Hal  added.  "  Well,  maybe  so  —  but  I  have  to  try 
things  out  for  myself.  You  see,  I've  got  a  brother  at 
home,  and  when  I  think  about  going  in  for  revolution,  I 
have  imaginary  arguments  with  him.  I  want  to  be  able 
to  say/  I  didn't  swallow  anybody's  theories;  I  tried  it  for 
myself,  and  this  is  what  happened.7  3 

"  Well,"  replied  the  organiser,  "  that's  all  right.  But 
while  you're  seeking  education  for  yourself  and  your 
.brother,  don't  forget  that  I've  already  got  my  education. 
I  know  what  happens  to  men  who  ask  for  a  check-weigh- 
man, and  I  can't  afford  to  sacrifice  myself  proving  it 
again." 

"  I  never  asked  you  to,"  laughed  Hal.  "  If  I  won't 
join  your  movement,  I  can't  expect  you  to  join  mine! 
But  if  I  can  find  a  few  men  who  are  willing  to  take  the 
risk  of  making  a  demand  for  a  check-weighman  —  that 
won't  hurt  your  work,  will  it  ?  " 

"  Sure  not !  "  said  the  other.  "  Just  the  opposite  — 
it'll  give  me  an.  object  lesson  to  point  to.  There  are  men 
here  who  don't  even  know  they've  -a  legal  right  to  a  check- 


THE  DOMAIN  OF  KING  COAL  89 

weighman.  There  are  others  who  know  they  don't  get 
their  weights,  but  aren't  sure  its  the  company  that's  cheat- 
ing them.  If  the  bosses  should  refuse  to  let  any  one  in- 
spect the  weights,  if  they  should  go  further  and  fire  the 
men  who  ask  it  —  well,  there'll  be  plenty  of  recruits  for 
my  union  local !  " 

'"All  right,"  said  Hal.  "I'm  not  setting  out  to  re- 
cruit your  union  local,  but  if  the  company  wants  to  recruit 
it,  that's  the  company's  affair!  "  And  on  this  bargain  the 
two  shook  hands. 


BOOK  TWO 
THE  SERFS  OF  KINO  COAL 


§  1.  Hal  was  now  started  upon  a  new  career,  more 
full  of  excitements  than  that  of  stableman  or  buddy,  with 
perils  greater  than  those  of  falling  rock  or  the  hind  feet 
of  mules  in  the  stomach".  The  inertia  which  overwork 
produces  had  not  had  time  to  become  a  disease  with  him; 
youth  was  on  his  side,  with  its  zest  for  more  and  yet  more 
experience.  He  found  it  thrilling  to  be  a  conspirator,  to 
carry  about  -with  him  secrets  as  dark  and  mysterious  as  the 
passages  of  the  mine  in  which  he  worked. 

But  Jerry  Minetti,  the  first  person  he  told  of  Tom 
Olson's  purpose  in  North  Valley,  was  older  in  such  thrills. 
The  care-free  look  which  Jerry  was  accustomed  to  wear 
vanished  abruptly,  and  fear  came  into  his  eyes.  "  I  know 
it  come  some  day/'  he  exclaimed  — "  trouble  for  me  and 
Rosa !  " 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  We  get  into  it  —  get  in  sure.  I  say  Rosa,  *  Call  your- 
self Socialist  —  what  good  that  do  ?  No  help  any.  No 
'use  to  vote  here  —  they  don't  count  no  Socialist  vote,  only 
for  joke! '  I  say,  t  Got  to  have  union.  Got  to  strike! ' 
But  Rosa  say,  i  Wait  little  bit.  Save  little  bit  money, 
let  children  grow  up.  Then  we  help,  no  care  if  we  no 
got  any  home/  J 

"  But  we're  not  going  to  start  a  union  now!  "  objected 
Hal.  "I  have  another  plan  for  the  present." 

Jerry,  however,  was  not  to.  be  put  at  ease.  "  No  can 
wait !  "  he  declared.  "  Men  no  stand  it !  I  say,  l  It  come 
some  day  quick  —  like  blow-up  in  mine  I  Somebody  start 
fight,  everybody  fight.' '  And  Jerry  looked  at  Rosa,  who 
sat  with  her  black  eyes  fixed  anxiously  upon  her  husband. 
"  We  get  into  it,"  he  said ;  and  Hal  saw  their  eyes  turn 
to  the  room  where  Little  Jerry  and  the  baby  were  sleeping. 

93 


94  KING  COAL 

Hal  said  nothing  —  he  was  beginning  to  understand 
the  meaning  of  rebellion  to  such  people.  He  watched 
with  curiosity  and  pity  the  struggle  that  went  on ;  a  strug- 
gle as  old  as  the  soul  of  man  —  between  the  voice  of  self- 
interest,  of  comfort;  and  prudence,  and  the  call  of  duty,  of 
the  ideal.  No  trumjpet  sounded  for  this  'conflict,  only  the 
still  small  voice  within. 

After  a  while  Jerry  asked  what  it  was  Hal  and  Olson 
had  planned;  and  Hal  explained  that  he  wanted  to  make 
a  test  of  the  company's  attitude  toward  the  check-weigh- 
man  law.  -Hal  thought  it  a  fine  schem'e;  what  did  Jerry 
think  ? 

Jerry  smiled  sadly.  "  Yes,  fine  scheme  for  young  fel- 
ler —  no:got  family !  " 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Hal,  •"  I'll  take  the  job  — I'll 
be  the  check-weighman. 

"  Got  to  have  committee,"  said  Jerry — >"  committee  go 
see  boss." 

"  All  right,  but  we'll  get  young  fellows  for  that  too  — 
men  who  have  no  families.  Some  of  the  fellows  who  live 
in  the  chicken-coops  in  shanty-town.  They  won't  care 
what  -happens  to  them." 

But  Jerry  would  not  share  Hal's  smile.  "  No  got  sense 
'riough,  them  fellers.  Take  sense  to  stick  together."  He 
explained  that  theyuwould  need  a  group  of  men  to  stand 
back  of  the  committee;  such  a  group  would  have  to  be 
organised,  to  hold  meetings  in  secret  —  it  would  be  prac- 
tically the  same  thing  as  a  union,  would  be  so  regarded  by 
the  bosses  and  their  spotters.  And  no  organisation  of  any 
sort  was  permitted  in  the  camps.  There  had  been  some 
Serbians  who  had  wanted  to  belong  to  a  fraternal  order 
back  in  their  home  country,  but  even  that  had  been  for- 
bidden. If  you  wanted  to  insure  your  life  or  your  health, 
the  company  would  attend  to  it  —  and  get  the  profit  from 
it.  For -that  matter,  you  could  not  even  buy  a  post-office 
money-order,  to  send  funds  back  to  the  old  country ;  the 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  95 

post-office  clerk,  who  was  at  the  same  time  a  clerk  in  the 
company-store,  would  sell  you  some  sort  of  a  store-draft. 

So  Hal  was  facing  the  very  difficulties  about  which  Olson 
had  warned  him.  The  first  of  them  was  Jerry's  fear. 
Yet  Hal  knew  that  Jerry  was  no  "  coward  " ;  if  any  man 
had  a  contempt  for  Jerry's  attitude,  it  was  because  he 
had  never  been  in  Jerry's  place ! 

"  All  I'll  ask  of  you  now  is  advice,"  said  Hal.  "  Give 
me  the  names  of  some  young  fellows  who  are  trustworthy, 
and  I'll  get  their -help  without  anybody  suspecting  you." 

"tYou  my  boarder !  "  was  Jerry's  reply  to  this. 

So  again  Hal  was  "  up  against  it."  "  You  mean  that 
would  get  you  into  trouble?" 

"  Sure!  They  know  we  talk.  They  know  I  talk  So- 
cialism, anyhow.  They  fire  me  sure!  " 

"  But  how  about  your  cousin,  the  pit-boss  hi  Number 
One?" 

"  He  no  help.  May  be  get  fired  himself.  Say  damn 
fool  —  board  check-weighman  !  " 

"  All  right,"  said  Hal.  "  Then  I'll  move  away  now, 
before  it's  too  late.  You  can  say  I  was  a  trouble-maker, 
and  you  turned  me  oft'." 

The  Minettis  sat  gazing  at  each  other  —  a  mournful 
pair.  They  hated  to  lose  their  boarder,  who  was  such 
good  company,  and  paid  them  such  good  money.  As  for 
Hal,  he  felt  nearly  as  bad,  for  he  liked  Jerry  and  his  girl- 
wife,  and  Little  Jerry  —  even  the  black-eyed  baby,  who 
made  so  much  noise  and  interrupted  conversation! 

"No!"  said  Jerry.  "I  no  run  away!  I  do  my 
share !  " 

"  That's  all.  right,"  replied  Hal.  "  You  do  your  share 
—  but  not  just  yet.  You  stay  on  in  the  camp  and  help 
Olson  after  I'm  fired.  We  don't  want  the  best  men  put 
out  at  once." 

So,  after  further  argument,  it  was  decided,  and  Hal 
saw  little  Rosa  sink  back  in  her  chair  and  draw  a  deep 


96  KING  COAL 

breath  of  relief.  The  time  for  martyrdom  was  put  off; 
her  little  three-roomed  cabin,  her  furniture  and  her  shin- 
ing pans  and  her  pretty  white  lace ,  curtains,  might  be 
hers  for  a  few  weeks  longer ! 


§  2.  Hal  went  back  to  Eeminitsky's  boarding-house ; 
a  heavy  sacrifice,  but  not  without  its  compensations,  be- 
cause it  gave  him  more  chance  to  talk  with  the  men. 

He  aud  Jerry  made  up  a  list  of  those  who  could  be 
trusted  with  tjie  secret:  the  list  beginning  with  the  name 
of  Mike  Sikoria.  To  be  put  on  a  committee,  and  sent 
to  interview  a  boss,  would  appeal  to  Old  Mike  as  the  pur- 
pose for  which  he  had  been  put  upon  earth!  Bi\t  they 
would  not  tell  him  about  it  until  the  last  minute,  for  fear 
lest  in  his  excitement  he  might  shout  out  the  announcement 
the  next  time  he  lost  one  of  his  cars. 

There  was  a  young  Bulgarian  miner  named  Wresmak 
who  worked  near  Hal.  The  road  into  this  man's  room  ran 
up  an  incline,  and  he  had  hardly  been  able  to  push  his 
"  empties  "  up  the  grade.  While  he  was  sweating  and 
straining  at  the  task,  Alec  Stone  had  come  along,  and 
having  a  giant's  contempt  for  physical  weakness,  began 
to  cuff  him.  The  man  raised  his  arm  —  whether  in  of- 
fence or  to  ward  off  the  blow,  no  one  could  be  sure;  but 
Stone  fell  upon  him  and  kicked  him  all  the  way  down  the 
passage,  pouring  out  upon  him  furious  curses.  Now  the 
man  was  in  another  room,  where  he  had  taken  out  over 
forty  rcar--loads  of  rock,  and  been  allowed  only  three  dol- 
lars for  it.  No  one  who  watched  his  face  when  the  pit- 
boss  passed  would  doubt  that  this  man  would  be  ready  to 
take  his  chances  in  a  movement  of  protest. 

Then  there  was  a  man  whom  Jerry  knew,  who  had  just 
come  out  of  the  hospital,  after  contact  with  the  butt-end 
of  the  canip-rnarshal's  revolver.  This  was  a  Pole,  who 
unfortunately  did  not  know  a  word  of  English;  but  Olson, 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  97 

the  organiser,  had  got  into  touch  with  another  Pole,  who 
spoke  a  little  English,  and  would  pass  the  word  on  to  his 
fellow-countryman.  Also  there  was  a  young  Italian,  Ro- 
vetta,  whom  Jerry  knew  and  whose  loyalty  he  could  vouch 
for. 

There  was  another  person  Hal  thought  of  —  Mary 
Burke.  He  had  been  deliberately  avoiding  her  of  late; 
it  seemed  the  one  safe  thing  to  do  —  although  it  seemed 
also  a  cruel  thing,  and  left  his  mind  ill  at  ease.  He  went 
over  and  over  what  had  happened.  How  had  the  trouble 
got  started  ?  It  is  a  man's  duty  in  such  cases  to  take  the 
blame  upon  himself ;  but  a  man  does  not  like  to  take  blame 
upon  himself,  and  he  tries  to  make  it  as  light  as  possible. 
Should  Hal  say  that  it  was  because  he  had  been  too  offi- 
cious that  night  in  helping  Mary  where  the  path  was 
rough?  She  had  not  actually  needed  such  help,  she  was 
quite  as  capable  on  her  feet  as  he!  But  he  had  really 
gone  farther  than  that  — he  had  had  a  definite  senti- 
mental impulse;  and  he  had  been  a  cad- — he  should  have 
known  all  along  that  all  this  girl's  discontent,  all  the  long- 
ing of  her  starved  soul,  would  become  centred  upon  him, 
who  was  so  "different,"  who  had  had  opportunity,  who 
made  her  think  of  the  "  poetry-books  "  ! 

But  here  suddenly  seemed  a  solution  of  the  difficulty; 
here  was  a  new  interest  for  Mary,  a  safe  channel  in  which 
her  emotions  could  run.  A  woman  could  not  serve  on  a 
miners'  committee,  but  she  would  be  a  good  adviser,  and 
her  sharp  tongue  would  be  a  weapon  to  drive  others  into 
line.  Being  aflame  with  this  enterprise,  Hal  became  im- 
personal, man-fashion  —  and  so  fell  into  .another  senti- 
mental trap !  He  did  not  stop  to  think  that  Mary's  inter- 
.est  in  the  check-weighman  movement  might  be  condi- 
tioned in  part  by  a  desire  to  see  more  of  him ;  still  less 
did  it  occur  to  himxthat  he  might  be  glad  for  a  pretext  *to 
see  Mary. 

No,  he  was  picturing  her  in  a  new  role,  an  activity  more 


98  KING  COAL 

inspiriting  than  cooking  and  nursing.  His  "  poetry- 
book "  imagination  took  fire;  he  gave -her  a  hope  and  a 
purpose,  a  pathway  with  a  goal  at  the  end.  Had  there 
not  been  women  leaders  in  every  great  proletarian  move- 
ment? 

He  went  to  call  on  her,  and  met  her  at  the  door  of  her 
cabin.  "  7Tis  a  cheerin'  sight  to  see  ye,  Joe  Smith!" 
she  said.  And  she  looked  him  in  the  eye  and  smiled. 

,"  The  same  to  you,  Mary  Burke!  "  he  answered. 

She  was  game,  he  saw ;  she  was  going  to  be  a  "  good 
sport."  But  he  noticed  that  she  was  paler  than  when  he 
had  seen  her  last.  Could  it  be  that  these  gorgeous  Irish 
complexions  ever  faded  ?  He  thought  that  she  was  thin- 
ner too ;  the  old  blue  calico  seemed  less  tight  upon  her. 

Hal  plunged  into  his  theme.  "Mary,  I  had  a  vision 
of  you  to-day !  " 

"Of me,  lad?     Whafsthat?" 

He  laughed.  "  I  saw  you  with  a  glory  in  your  face,  and 
your  hair  shining  like  a  crown  of  gold.  You  were 
mounted  on  a  snow-white  horse,  and  wore  a  robe  of  white, 

soft  and  lustrous like  Joan  of  Arc,  or  a  leader  in  a 

suffrage  parade.  t  You  were  riding  at  the  head  of  a  host  — 
I've  still  got  the  music  in, my  ears,  Mary!  " 

"  Go  tin  with  ye,  lad  —  what's  all  this  about  ?  " 

"  Come  in  and  I'll  tell  you,"  he  said. 

So  they  went  into  the  bare  kitchen,  and  sat  in  bare 
wooden  chairs  —  Mary  folding  her  hands  in  her  lap  like 
a  child  who  has  been  promised  a  fairy-story.  "Now 
hurry,"  said  she.  "  I  want  to  know  about  this  new  dress 
ye're  givin'  me.  Are, ye  tired  of  me  old  calico?  " 

He  joined  in  her  smile.  "This  is  a  dress  you  will 
weave  for  yourself,  Mary,  out  of  the  finest  threads  of  your 
own  nature  —  out  of  courage  and  devotion  and  self-sacri- 

"  Sure,  'tis  the  poetry-book  again !  But  what  is  it  ye're 
really  meanin'  ?  " 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  -99 

He  looked'  about  him.     "  Is  anybody  here  ?  " 

"  Nobody," 

But  instinctive!^  he  lowered  his  voice  as  he  told  his 
story.  There  was  an  organiser  of  the  "  big  union  "  in  the 
camp,  and  he  was  going  to  rouse  the  slaves  to  protest. 

The  laughter  went  out '  of  Mary's  face.  "Oh!  It's 
that!  "  she  said,  in  a  flat  tone.  The  vision  :of  the  snow- 
white  horse  and  tHe  soft  and  lustrous  robe  was  gone.  •  "  Ye 
can  never  do  anything  of  that  sort  here!  " 

'"Why  not?" 

"  'Tis  the  men  in  this  place.  Don't  ye  remember  what 
I  told  ye  at  Mr.  Rafferty's  ?  They're  cowards ! " 

"  Ah,  Mary,  it's  easy  to  say  that.  But: it's  not  so  pleas- 
ant being  turned  out  of  your  home— -" 

"  Do  ye  have  to  tell  me  that  ?  "  she  cried,  with  sudden 
passion/  "  Haven't  I  seen  that •?  "•• 

"  Yes,  Mary ;  but  I  want  to  do  something — " 

"  Yes,  and  haven't  -I  wanted  to  do  something  ?  Sure, 
I've  wanted  to  bite  off  the  noses  of  the  bosses !  " 

"Well,"  "he  laughed,  "we'll  make  that  a  part  of  our 
programme."  But  Mary  was  not  to  be  lured  into 'cheer- 
fulness; her  niood  was-iso  full  of  pain  and  bewilderment 
that  he  -had  an  impulse  to  reach  out  and  take  her  hand 
again.  But  he  checked  that ;  he  had  come  to  divert  her 
energies  into  a  safe  channel! 

"  We  must  waken  these  men  to  resistance,  Mary !  " 

"  Ye  can't  do  it,  Joe  —  not  the  English-speakin'  men. 
The  Greeks  and  the  Bulgars,  maybe  —  they're  fightin'  at 
home,  and  they  might  fight  here.  But  the  Irish  never- — 
never!  Them  that  had  any  backbone  went  out  long  ago. 
Them  that  stayed  has  been  made  into  boot-licks.  I  know 
them,  every  man  of  them.  TKey  grumble,  and -curse  the 
boss,  but  then  they  think  of  the  blacklist,  and  they  go  back 
and  cringe  at  his  feet." 

"  What  such  men  want  — " 

" 'Tis  booze  they  want,  and  carousin'  with  the  rotten 


100  KING  COAL 

women  in  the  coal-towns,  and  sittin'  up  all  night  winnin' 
each  other's  money  with  a  greasy  pack  of  cards  1  They 
take  their  pleasure  where  they  find  it,  and  His  nothiii' 
better  they  want." 

"  Then,  Mary,  if  that's  so,  don't  you  see  it's  all  the  more 
reason  for  trying  to  teach  them  3  If  not  'for  their  own 
sakes,  for  the  sake  of  their  children!  The  children 
mustn't  grow  up  like  that!  They  are  learning  English, 
at  least  — " 

Mary  gave  a  scornful  laugh.  "  Have  ye  been  up  to 
that  school?" 

He  answered  no;  and  she  told  him  there  were  a  hundred 
and  twenty  children  packed  in  one  room,  three  in  a  seat, 
and  solid  all  round  the  wall.  She  went  on,  with  swift 
anger  —  the  school  was  supposed  to  be  paid  for  out  of 
taxes,  but  as  nobody  owned  any  property  but  the  com- 
pany, it  was  all  in  the  company's  hands.  The  school- 
board  consisted  of  Mr.  Cartwright,  the  mine-superin- 
tendent, and;  Jake  Predovich,  a  clerk  in  the  store,  and  the 
preacher,  the  Reverend  Spraggs.  Old  Spraggs  would 
bump  his  nose  on  the  floor  if  the  "  super  "  told  him  to. 

"  Now,  now !  "  said  Hal,  laughing.  "  You're  down  on 
him  because  his  grandfather  .was  an  Orangeman!  " 

§  3.  Mary  Burke  had  been  suckled  upon  despair,  and 
the  poison  of  it  was  deep  in  her  blood.  Hal  began  to  re- 
alise that  it  would  be  as  hard  to  give  her  a  hope  as  to 
rouse  the  workers  whom  she  despised.  She  was  brave 
enough,  no  doubt,  but  how  could  he  persuade  her  to  be 
brave  for  men  who  had  no  courage  for  themselves? 

"  Mary,"  he  said,  "  in  your  heart  you  don't  really  hate 
these  people.  You  know  how  they  suffer,  you  pity  them 
for  it.  You  give  their  children  your  last  cent  when  they 
need  it  — " 

"  Ah,  lad!  "  she  cried,  and  he  saw  tears  suddenly  spring 
into  her  eyes.  "  'Tis  because  I  love  them  so  that  I  hate 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  101 

them!  Sometimes  'tis  the  bosses  I  would  murder,  some- 
times 'tis  the  men.  Wnat  is  itj  ye're  wantin'  me  to  do  I  " 

And  then,  even  before  he  could  answer,  she  began  to 
run  over  the  list  of  her  acquaintances  in  the  camp.  Yes, 
there  was  one  man  Hal  ought  to  talk  to ;  he  would  be  too 
old  to  join  them,  but  his  advice  would  be  invaluable,  and 
they  could  be  sure  he  would  never  betray  them.  That 
was  old  John  Edstrom,  a  Swede  from  Minnesota,  who 
had  worked  in  this  district  from  the  time  the  mines  had 
first  started  up.  He  had  been  active  in  the  great  strike 
eight  years  'ago,  and  had  been  black-listed,  his  four  sons 
with  him.  The  sons  were  scattered  now  to  the  four  parts 
of  the  world,  but  the  father  had  stayed  nearby,  working  as 
a  ranch-hand  and  railroad  labourer,  until  a  couple  of  years 
ago,  during  a  rush  season,  he  had  got  a  chance  to  come 
back  into  the  mines. 

He  was  old,  old,  declared  Mary  —  must  be  sixty.  And 
when  Hal  remarked  that  that  did  not  sound  so  frightfully 
aged,  she  answered  that  one  seldom  heard  of  a  man  being 
able  to  work  in  a  coal-mine  at  that  age  'r  in  fact,  there  were 
not  many  who  managed  to  live  to  that  age.  Edstrom's 
wife  was  dying  now,  and  he  was  having  a  hard  time. 

"  'Twould  not  be  fair  to  let  such  an  old  gentleman  lose 
his  job,"  said  Mary.  "  But  at  least  he  could  give  ye 
good  advice." 

So  that  evening  the  two  of  them  wen?  to  call  on  John 
Edstrom,  in  a  tiny  unpainted  cabin  in  "shanty-town," 
with  a  bare  earth  floor,  and  a  half  partition  of  rough 
boards  to  hide  his  dying  wife  from  his  callers.  The 
woman's  trouble  was  cancer,  and  this  made  calling  a  try- 
ing matter,  for  there  was  a  fearful  odour  in  the  place. 
For  some  time  it  was  impossible  for  Hal  to  force  himself 
to  think  about  anything  else ;  but  finally  he  overcame  this 
weakness,  telling  himself  that  this  wae  a  war,  and  that 
a  man  must  be  ready  for  the  hospital  as  well  as  for  the 
parade-ground. 


102  KING  COAL 

He  looked  &  bout,  and  saw-that  the  cracks  of  Edstrom?S 
cabin'  were  stopped  with,  yags,  ! and' the  broken  window- 
panes  -mended  with  browii  paper.  'The  old  man: had  evi- 
dently made  an  effort  ;to  keep  the  place  ndat,  and  Hal  no- 
ticed a  row  of  bodks  o4i  a  shelf.  Because  it  was  cold  in 
these- mountain  regions  at  night, -even  in  September,  the 
old  man  had  a/ fire  in  the  little  cast-iron  stove,  and  sat 
huddled1  by  it.:;  There  were  only  a  few  hairs  left  on  his 
head,  and- his  scrubby  beard  was  as  white  as  anything1' 
could  be  in  a  coal^earnp.  ;  The  first  impression  of  his  face 
was'of  its  pallor,  and  then  of  tHe: benevolence  in  the  faded 
dark. eyes;  also  his  voice  was  gentle,  like  a' caress*.  :H0 
rose  tb  greet  his;  visitors,  and -put  out  to  Hal  a  trembling 
hand,  which  resembled  the ;  paw  of  some  animal,  horny  and 
n¥tesha(pen.  He  made  <a  movb  to  draw'  up  a  bench,  and 
apologised  for  his  unskillful  house-keeping.  It  occurred] 
to  Hal -that  a -man  inight;:be  able  to  work  in  a  coal-mine 
at  sixty,  and  -not  'be  able  to  work  in  it 'at  sixty-one. 

Hal  had  requested  Mary  to  say  nothing  about  his  pur- 
pose>  until -after  he  had  a;  chance  to  -judge:  for  .himself. 
So  now  the  girl  inquired'  about  Mrs;  Edstrom.  There  was 
no  news,  the -man  answered;  she  was  lying  in  a' stupor,  as 
usual.  •>  -Dr.  Barrett  had  come  again,  but -all  he  eould"do 
was  io  give  "her  -morphine.  iNo  one  coiild  'do  any  more, 
the  doctor  declared. 

"  Sure,- iie'd^  nit  know  it  if -they  could!  "  sniflied  Mary. 
He's  not  s"tich  a  :bad  oh-e,  \vhen  h^e's  sober,''  said  Ed- 
strom,  patiently. 

'^Aiid  Ifibw  eften  is  that  ?/'  sniffed  Mary  again.  She 
added,  by 'way*  bf  explanation  to  ;Hfll,  u  He's  a  couain  of 
the  8tiper.?'' 

Things  -we're  better  here  than  in  some  places,  said  Ed- 
Strdm.  At  Harvey ' »  Run,  where  he  had  worked,  a  man 
had ;  got  'hiSiete  hurt,  and'  bad'  ilcM^it  through  the  doctor's 
instrument  'slipping;  broken  arms  and  legs  had  been  set 
wrong,  and  either  the  men  had  to  go  through  life  as  crip- 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  103 

pies,  or  go  elsewhere'  and  have  the  bones  re-broken  and  reset. 
It  was  like  everything  else  —  the  doctor  was  a  part  of  the 
company  machine,  and  if  you  had  too  much  to  say  about 
him,  it  was  down  the  canyon  with  you.  You  not  only  had 
a  dollar  a  month  taken  out  of  your  pay,  but  if  you  were 
injured,  and  he  came  to  attend  you,  he  would  charge  what- 
ever extra  he  pleased. 

"  And  you  have  to  pay  ?  "  asked  Hal. 

•"They 'take  it  off  your  account,"  said  the  old  man. 

;"  Sometimes  they  take  it  when  he's  done  nothiii'  at 
all/7  added  Mary.  "  They  charged  Mrs.  Zamboni  twenty- 
five  dollars  for  her  last  baby  —  and  Dr.  Barrett  never  set 
foot  across  her  door  till  three  hours  after  the  baby  was 
in  my  arms !  " 


§  4.  The  talk  went  on.  Wishing  to  draw  the  6ld  man 
out,  Hal  spoke  of  various  troubles  of  the  miners,  and  at 
last  he  suggested  that  the  remedy  might  be  found  in  a 
union.  Edstrom's  dark  eyes  studied  him,  and  then  turned 
to  Mary.  "  Joe's  all  right/'  said  the  girl,  quickly.  "'You 
can  trust  him." 

Edstrom  made  no  direct  answer  to  this,  but  remarked 
that  he  had  once  been  in  a  strike.  He  was  a  marked  man, 
now,  and  could  only  stay  in  the  camp  so  long  as  he  at- 
tended strictly  to  his  own  affairs.  The  part  he  had  played 
in  the  big  strike  had  never  been  forgotten ;  the  bosses  had 
let  him  work  again,  partly  because  they  had  needed  him 
at  a  rush  time,  and  partly  because  the  pit-boss  happened 
to  be  a  personal1  friend. 

"Tell  him  about  the  big  strike,"  said  Mary.  "He's 
new  in  this  district." 

The  old  man  had  apparently  accepted  Mary's  word  for 
Hal's  good  faith,  for  he  began  to  narrate  those  terrible 
events  which  were  a  whispered  tradition  of  the  camps. 
There  had  been  a  mighty  effort  of  ten  thousand  slaves  for 


104  KING  COAL 

freedom ;  and  it  had  been  crushed  with  utter  ruthleasness. 
Ever  since  these  mines  had  been  started,  the  operators  had 
controlled  the  local  powers  of  government,  and  now,  in  the 
emergency,  they  had  brought  in  the  state  militia  as  well, 
and  used  it  frankly  to  drive  the  strikers  back  to  work. 
They  had  seised  the  leaders  and  active  men,  and  thrown 
them •  into  jail  without  trial  or  charges;  when  the  jails 
would  hold  no  more,  they  kept  some  two  hundred  in  an 
open  stockade,  called  a  "  bull-pen,"  and  finally  they  loaded 
them  into  freight-cars,  took  them  at  night  out  of  the  state, 
and  dumped  them  off  in  the  midst  of  the  desert  without 
food  or  water. 

John  Edstrom  had  been  one  of  these  men.  He  told 
how  one  of  his  sons  had  been  beaten  and  severely  injured 
in  jail,  and  how  another  had  been  kept  for  weeks  in  a 
damp  cellar,  so  that  he  had  come  out  crippled  with  rheuma- 
tism for  life.  The  officers  of  the  state  militia  had  done 
these  things ;  and  when  some  of  the  local  authorities  were 
moved  to  protest,  the  militia  had  arrested  them  —  even  the 
judges  of  the  civil  courts  had  been  forbidden  to  sit,  under 
threat  of  imprisonment.  "  To  hell  with  the  constitution  !  " 
had  been  the  word  of  the  general  in  command ;  his  subor- 
dinate had  made  famous  the  saying,  "  No  habeas  corpus; 
we'll  give  them  post-mortems!  " 

Tom  Olson  had  impressed  Hal  with  his  self-control, 
but  this  old  man  made  an  even  deeper  impression  upon 
him.  As  he  listened,  he  became  humble,  touched  with 
awe.  Incredible  as  it  might  seem,  when  John  Edstrom 
talked  about  his  cruel  experiences,  it  was  without  bitter- 
ness in  his  voice,  and  apparently  without  any  in  his  heart. 
Here,  in  the  midst  of  want  and  desolation,  with  his  fam- 
ily broken  and  scattered,  and  the  wolf  of  starvation  at  his 
door,  he  could  look  back  upon  the  past  without  hatred  of 
those  who  had  ruined  him.  Nor  was  this  because  he  was 
old  and  feeble,  and  had  lost  the  spirit  of  revolt;  it  was 
because  he  had  studied  economics,  and  convinced  himself 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  105 

that  it  was  an  evil  system  which  blinded  men's  eyes  and 
poisoned  their  souls.  A  better  day  was  coming,  he  said, 
when  this  evil  system  would  be  changed,  and  it  would  be 
possible  for  men  to  be  merciful  to  one  another. 

At  tliis  point  in  the  conversation,  Mary  Burke  gave 
voice  once  more  to  her  corroding  despair.  How  could 
things  ever  be  changed?  'The  bosses  were  mean-hearted, 
and  the  men  were  cowards  and  traitors.  That  left  nobody 
but  God  to  do  the  changing  — •  and  God  had  left  things  as 
they  were  for  such  a  long  time ! 

Hal  was  interested  to  hear  how  Edstrom  dealt  with  this 
attitude.  "  Mary,"  he  said,  "  did  you  ever  read  about 
ants  in  Africa  '(  " 

"  No,"  said  she. 

"  They  travel  in  long  columns,  millions  and  millions  of 
them.  And  when  they  come  to  a  ditch,  the  front  ones  fall 
in,  and  more  and  more  of  them  on  top,  till  they  fill  up 
the  di'tch,  and  the  rest  cross  over.  We  are  ants,  Mary." 

"  No  matter  how  many  go  in,"  cried  the  girl,  "none 
will  ever  get  across.  There's  no  bottom  to  the  ditch!  " 

He  answered :  "  That's  more  than  any  ant  can  know. 
Mary.  All  they  know  is  to  go  in.  They  cling  to  each 
other's  bodies,  even  in  death ;  they  make  a  bridge,  and 
the  rest  go  over." 

"I'll  step  one  side!  "  she  declared,  fiercely.  "  I'll  not 
throw  meself  away." 

"  You  may  s*ep  one  side,"  answered  the  other  — "  but 
you'll  step  back  into  line  again.  I  know  you  better  than 
you  know  yourself,  Mary." 

There  was  silence  in  the  little  cabin.  The  winds  of  an 
early  fall  shrilled  outside,  and  life  suddenly  seemed  to 
Hal  a  stern  and  merciless  thing.  He  had,  thought  in  his 
youthful  fervour  it  would  be  thrilling  to  be  a  revolution- 
ist;  but  to  be  an  ant,  one  of  millions  and  millions,  to  perish 
in  a  bottomless  ditch  —  that  was  something  a  man  could 
hardly  bring  himself  to  face 1  He  looked  at  the  bowed  fig- 


,lft6  KING  COAL 

,ure  of  this, white  haired  toiler,  vague  in  the  feeble  lamp- 
light, and  found  himself  thinking  of  Rembrandt's  paint- 
ing, the  Visit  of  Emmaus :  the  ill-lighted  room  in  the  dirty 
tavern,  and  the  two  ragged  men,  struck  dumb  by  the  glow 
of  light  about  the  forehead  of  their  table-companion.  It 
•was  not  fantastic  to  imagine  a  glow  of  light  about  the  fore- 
head of  this  soft-voiced  old  man ! 

"  I  never  hafi  any  hope  it  would  come  in  my  time/*  the 
old  man  was  saying  gently.  <:  I  did  use  to  hope  my  boys 
might  see  it  —  but  now  I'm  not  sure  even  of  that.  But 
in  all  my  life  I  never  doubted  that  some  day  the  working- 
people  will  cross  over  to  the  promised  land.  They'll  no 
longer  be  slaves,  and  what  they  make  wron't  be  wasted  by 
idlers.  And  take  it  from  one  who  knows,  Mary  —  for  a 
workingman  or  woman  not  to  have  that  faith,  is  to  have 
lost  the  reason  for  living." 

Hal  decided  that  it  would  be  safe  to  trust  this  man,  and 
told  him  of  his  check-weighman  plan.  "  We  only  want 
your  advice,"  he  explained,  remembering  Mary's  warn- 
ing. "Your  sick  wife—" 

But  the  old  man  answered,  sadly,  "  She's  almost  gone, 
and  I'll  soon  be  following.  What  little  strength  I  have 
left  might  as  well  be  used  for  the  cause." 


§  5.  This  business  of  conspiracy  was  grimly  real  to 
men  whose  living  came  out  of  coal ;  but  jlal,  even  at  the 
most  serious  moments,  continued  to  find  Jn  it, the  thrill 
of  romance.  He  had  read  stories  of  revolutionists,  and 
of  the  police  who  hunted  them.  That  such  excitements 
were  to  be  had  in  Russia,  he  knew;  but  if  any  one  had  told 
him  they  could  be  had  in  his  own  free  America,  within 
a  few  hours'  journey  of , his  home  city  and  his  college-town, 
he  could  not  have  credited  the  statement. 

The  evening  after  his  visit  to  Edstrom,  Hal  was  stopped 
on  the  street  by  his  boss.  Encountering  him  suddenly, 


THE  SEEF8 -QE.-KING  COAL  107 

Ha]- started,  like  a -pick-pocket,  who  runs  into  a  policeman. 

k'  Hello,  -kid,"  said  the  pit-fross. 

"  Hello,  Mr..  Stonei,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  want  to  talk:  to  you/'  said  the  boss. 

"  All  right,  sir."  And  then,  under  his  breath,  "  He's 
got  me!  "  ,;joal  .  : 

•"  Come  up  to  my  house/'  :Said  Stone  ;•  and  Hal  followed, 
feeling  ass  if  hand-cuffs  were  already  on  his  wrists. 

I  "  Say/'  said, the  man',  as" they . \valjved,  •"  I  thought  you 
were  going  to  tell  me  if  you'd  hear,d  ar*y  talk." 

•"  I  haven't  heard  any,  sir." 

"Well,"  continued  ,'Stpi}e,,"  you  t  Want  to  get  busy; 
there's  sure  to  be  kickers  in  every  coal-caiap.''  And  deep 
within,  Hal  drew  a  sigh  of  relief.  It  was:a  ;false  alarm! 

They  came,  to  the  boss's,  house,  .and, he  took  a  chair  on 
the  piazza  and  motioned  Hal 'to  tflke  anothqr.  .They  sat 
in  semi-darkness,  and  .Stoiie  droppGd':  his ;  voice  as  he  be- 
gan. "What  I  \Yant.to  talk  to  you  about  ,now  js  some- 
thing else  —  this  election." 

"Election,  sir?" 

"  Dicln't  you  know  there, , was  ojic  ?  Jhe  Congressman 
in.  this  district  died,;  aud  there's  a  special  election  three 
weeks  from  next  Tuesday." 

"  I  see,  sir."  And  Hal  chuckled, inwardly.;  ,,116  would 
get  the  information  which  Tqin  Olson  had  ^Qcommended 
to  him ! 

"  You  ain't  heard  any  talk  about  it  ?  "  inquired  the  pit- 
boss.  .  j 

"  Jfothing  at  all,  sir.  I  never  pay  much  attention  to 
politics  —  -it  ain't ;  ip  my,  line." 

•"  Well,  that's  the. way  I  like  to  hear.  a.  miner  talk  !  "  said 
the  pit-bo^  with  heartiness.  .,•"  If  they  all  h$d.  sense 
cuougli  to  leave  politics  to  the  politicians^  they'd  be  a  sight 
better  off.  What  they;  need  is, to,  tend  to  their  own  jobs." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  agreed  Hal,  meekly-^"  like  I  had  to  tei^d 
to  them  mules,;,if  I  didn't  want  to  get-  the  colic/" 


108  KING  COAL 

The  boss  smiled  appreciatively.  "You've  got  more 
sense  than  most  of  'em.  If  you'll  stand  by  me,  there'll 
be  a  chance  for  you  to  move  up  in  the  world." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Stone,"  said  Hal.  "  Give  me  a 
chance." 

"  Well  now,  here's  this  election.  Every  year  they  send 
us  a  bunch  of  campaign  money  to  handle.  A  bit  of  it 
might  come  your  way." 

"  I  could  use  it,  I  reckon,"  said  Hal,  brightening  vis- 
ibly. "  What  is  it  you  want  ?  " 

There  was  a  pause,  while  Stone  puffed  on  his  pipe.  He 
went  on,  in  a  business-like  manner.  "  WTiat  I  want  is 
somebody  to  feel  things  out  a  bit,  arid  let  me  know  the 
situation.  I  thought  it  better  not  to  use  the  men  that 
generally  work  for  me,  but  somebody  that  wouldn't  be 
suspected.  Down  in  Sheridan  and  Pedro  they  say  the 
Democrats  are  making-  a  big  stir,  and  the  company's  wor- 
ried. I  suppose  you  know  the  '  G.  F.  C.?  is  Republi- 
can." 

"  I've  heard  so." 

"  You  might  think  a  congressman  don't  have  much  to 
do  with  ITS,  way  off  in  Washington ;  but  it  has  a  bad  effect 
to  have  him  campaigning,  telling  the  men  the  company's 
abusing  them.  So  I'd  like  you  just  to  kind  o'  circulate 
a  bit,  and  start  the  men  on  politics,  and  see  if  any  of  them 
have  been  listening  to  this  MacDougall  talk.  (Mac- 
Dougall's  this  here  Democrat,  you  know.)  And  I  want 
to  find  out  whether  they've  been  sending  in  literature  to 
this  camp,  or  have  any  agents  here.  You  see,  they  claim 
the  right  to  come  in  and  make  speeches,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing.  North  Valley's  an  incorporated  town,  so  they've 
got  the  law  on  their  side,  in  a  way,  and  if  we  shut  ?em  out, 
they  make  a  howl  in  the  papers,  and  it  looks  bad.  So  we 
have  to  get  ahead  of  them  in  quiet  ways.  Fortunately 
there  ain't  any  hall  in  the  camp  for  them  to  meet  in,  and 
we've  made  a  local  ordinance  against  meetings  on  the 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  109 

street.  If  they  try  to  bring  in  circulars,  something  has 
to  happen  to  them  before  they  get  distributed.  See  \  " 

"  J  see,"  said  Hal ;  he  thought  of  Tom  Olson's  propa- 
ganda literature! 

"  We'W  pass  the  word  out, —  it's  the  Republican  the 
company  wants  elected ;  and  you  be  on  the  lookout  and  see 
how  they  take  it  in  the  camp." 

"  That  sounds  easy  enough/'  said  Hal.  "  But  tell  me, 
Mr.  Stone,  why  do  you  bother?  Do  so  many  of  these 
wops  have  votes  ?  " 

"  It  ain't  the  wops  so  much.  We  get  them  naturalised 
on  purpose  —  they  vote  our  way  for  a  glass  of  beer.  But 
the  English-speaking  men,  or  the  foreigners  that's  been 
here  too  long,  and  got  too  big  for  their  breeches  —  they're 
the  ones  we  got  to  watch.-  If,  they  get  to  talking  politics, 
they  don't  stop  there;  the  first  thing  you-  knowy  they're 
listening  to  union  agitators,  and  wanting  to  run  the  camp." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  see !  "  said  Hal,  and  wondered  if  his  voice 
sounded  right. 

But  the  pit-boss  was  concerned  with  his  own  troubles. 
"  As  I  told  Si  Adams  the  other  day,  what  I'm  looking  for 
is  fellows  that  talk  some  new  lingo  —  one  that  nobody  will 
ever  understand!  But  I  suppose  that  would  be  too  easy. 
There's  no  way  to  keep  them  from  learning  some  Eng- 
lish!" 

Hal  decided  to  make  use  of  this  opportunity  to  perfect 
his  education.  "  Surely,  Mr.  Stone,"  he  remarked,  "you 
don't  have  to  count  any  votes  if  you  don't  want  to !  " 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you,"  replied' Stone ;  "it's  a  question 
of  the  easiest  way  to  manage  things.  When  I  was  super- 
intendent over  to  Happy  Gulch,  we  didn't  waste  no  time 
on  politics.  The  company  was  Democratic  at  that  time, 
and  when  election  night  come,  we  wrote  down  four  hun- 
dred votes  for  the  Democratic  candidates.  But  the  first 
thing  we  knew,  a  bunch  of  fellers  was  taken  into  town  and 
got  to  swear  they'd  voted  the  Republican  ticket  in  our 


110  KING  COAL 

camp.  The  Republican  papers  were  full  of  it,  Sand  some 
fool  judge  ordered?  a  recount,  and  we  had  to  get  busy  over 
night, and  mark  up  a  new  lot  of  ballots.  It  gave  us  a  lot 
of  bother !  " 

The  pit-boss  laughed,  and  Hal  joined  him  discreetly. 

•"  So  you;;see,  you  have  to  learn:  to  manage.  If  there's 
votes  for  the  wrong  candidate  in  your  £amp,  the  fact  gets 
out,  and  if  the  returns  is  too  one-sided,  there's  a  lot' of 
grumbling.  There's  plenty  of  bosses -that  doirt  care,  but 
I  learned  my  lesson  that  time,  and  I  got  my  own'  method 
- — that  is  &ot  to  let1  any  opposition  start.  See  £  " 

n  Yes,  I  see." 

"Maybe  a  mine^boss  has  got  i  no  right  to  meddle  in 
politics  — ^but  there's- one 'thing  he's  got  the  say  about, 
and  that  is  'who  wo^ks  in  his  mine.  It's  the  easiest-thing 
to  weerd  out  '^-  weed  out — "':  Hal  never1  forgot  the  motion 
of  beefy-- hands*  with  'which  -  Alec  Stone  illustrated  these 
words.  'As  he  went  onpthe  tones' of  his  Voice  did  not  seem 
so  good-natured  as  usual.  "  The  fellows  that  don't  want 
to  vote  my  way  dan  go  somewhere  :else  to  do  their '  voting. 
That's  all  I 'got  to  say  on  politics !  :" 

There  Ws  a  brief  pause,  ^hile  Stone  puffed  on  his  pipe. 
Then  it  -may  have  occurred  tof  him  th'at  it  was  not  neces- 
sary' to  go  into 'So  much  detail  in  breaking  in  (a  political 
recruit.  When  he  resumed,  it  was  in  a  good-natured 
tone' of  ^dismissal.  "That's  what  you  do,  kid.  To-mor- 
row you  get  a  sprained  wrist,  so  YOU  can't  work  for  a  few 
days,  and  that'll  give  you  a  -chance  to  bum  round  and  hear 
what  the  men<are  Saying.  •  'Meantime,  I'll  see  you  get  your 
wages. 

"  That  sounds  all  right,"  said"  Hal ;  but  showing  only 
a  small  part  of  his  satisfaction !. 

The  pit-boss  rose  from  his  chair  '-and  knocked  the  ashes 


THE  SEKFS  OF  KING  COAL  111 

"  Yes,"  'said  Hal,  and  grinned  cheerfully.     "I'll  not 
fail  to  bear  that  in  mind." 


§  6.  The  first  thing  HaL  did  was  to  seek  out  Tom 
Olson  and  narrate  this  experience.  The  two  of  them  had 
'a  merry  time  over  it.  "  I'm  the  favourite  of  a  boss  now !  " 
laughed  HaL 

But  the  organiser  became  suddenly  serious.  "  Be  care- 
ful what  you  do  for  that  fellow." 

"Why?" 

"He  might  use. it' on  you  later  on.  One  of  the  things 
they  try  to  do  if  you  make  any  trouble  for  them,  is  to 
prove  that  you  took  money  from  them,  or  tried  to." 

"  But  he  won't  have  .any  proofs." 

"  That's  my  point  —  don't  give  him  any.  If  Stone 
says  you've  been  playing  the  political  game  for  him,  then 
some  fellow  might  remember  that  you  did  ask  him,  about 
politics.  So  don't  have  any  marked  money  on  you." 

Hal  laughed.  "  Money  doesn't  stay  on  me  very  long 
these  days.  But  what  shall  I  say  if  he  asks  me  for  a  re- 
port?" 

"  You'd  better  put  your  job  right  through,  Joe  —  so  that 
he  won't  have  time  to  ask  for  any  report." 

"All  right,"  was  the  reply.  "But  just  the, same,  I'm 
going  to  get  all  the  fun  there  is,  being  the  favourite  of  a 
boss !  " 

And  so,  early,  the  next  morning  when  Hal  went  to  his 
work  he  proceeded  to  "  sprain  his  wrist."  He  walked 
about  in  pain,  to  the  great  concern  of  Old  Mike ;  and  when 
finally  he  decided  fchat  he  would  have  to  lay  off,  Mike  fol- 
lowed him  half  way  to  the  shaft,  giving  him  advice  about 
hot  and  cold  cloths.  Leaving  the  old  Slovak  to  struggle 
along  as  best  he  could  alone,  Hal  went  out  to  bask  in  the 
wonderful  sunshine  of  the  upper  world,  and  the  still  more, 
wonderful  sunshine  of  a !  boss's  favour. 


112  KING  COAL 

First  he  weiit  to  his  room  at  Reminitsky's,  and  tied  a 
strip  of  old  shirt 'about  his  wrist,  and  a  clean  handkerchief 
on  top  of  that ;  by  this  symbol  he  was  entitled  to  the  free- 
dom of  the  camp  and  the  sympathy  of  all  men,  and  so  he 
sallied  forth. 

Strolling  towards  the  tipple  of  Number  One,  he  encoun- 
tered a  wiry,  quick-moving  little  man,  with  restless  black 
eyes  and  a  lean,  intelligent  face.  He  wore  a  pair  of  com- 
mon miner's  "  jumpers/7  but  even  so,  he  was  not  to  be 
taken  for  a  workingman.  Everything  about  him  spoke 
of  authority; 

"  Morning,  Mr.  Cartwright,"  said  Hal. 

"  Good  morning,"  replied  the  superintendent ;  then,  with 
a  glance  at  Hal's  bandage,  "  You  hurt  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  Just  a  bit  of  sprain,  but  I  thought  I'd  bet- 
ter lay  off." 

"  Been  to  the  doctor  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.     I  don't  think  it's  that  bad." 

"  You'd  better  go.  You  never  know  how  bad  a  sprain 
is." 

"  Right,  sir,"  said  Hal.  Then,  as  the  superintendent 
was  passing,  "  Do  you  think,  Mr.  Cartwright,  that  Mac- 
Dougall  stands  any  chance  of  being  elected  \  " 

"  I  d6n't  know,"  replied  the  other,  surprised.  "  I  hope 
not.  You  aren't  going  to  vote  for  him,  are  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no.  I'm  a  Republican  —  born  that  way..  But  I 
wondered  if  you'd  heard  any  MacDougall  talk." 

"  Well,  I'm  hardly  the  one  that  would  hear  it.  You 
take  an  interest  in  politics  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir  —  in  a  way.  In  fact,  that's  how  I  came  to 
get  this  wrist." 

"How's  that?     In  a  fight?" 

"  No,  sir ;  but  you  see,  Mr.  Stone  wanted  me  to  feel  out 
sentiment  in  the  camp,  and  he  told  me  I'd  better  sprain  my 
wrist  and  lay  off." 

The  "  super,"  after  staring  at  Hal,  could  not  keep  from 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  113 

laughing.  Then  he  looked  about  him.  "  You  want  to  be 
careful,  talking  about  such  things." 

"  I  thought  I  could  surely  trust  the.  superintendent," 
said  Hal,  drily. 

The  other  measured  him  with  his  keen  eyes ;  and  Hal, 
who  was  getting  the  spirit  of  political  democracy,  took  the 
liberty  of  returning  the  gaze.  "  You're  a  wide-awake 
young  fellow,"  said  Cartwright,  at  last.  "  Learn  the  ropes 
here,  and  make  yourself  useful,  and  I'll  see  you're  not 
passed  over." 

"  All  right,  sir :—  thank  you." 

"  Maybe  you'll  be  made  an  election-clerk  this  time. 
That's  worth  three  dollars  a  day,  you  know." 

"Very  good,  sir."  And  Hal  put  on  his  smile  again. 
"  They  tell  me  you're  the  mayor  of  North  Valley." 

"lam." 

"  And  the  justice  of  the  peace  is  a  clerk  in  -your  store. 
Well,  Mr.  Cartwright,  if  you  need  a  president  of  the  board 
of  health  or  a  dog  catcher,  I'm  your  man  —  as  soon,  that 
is,  as  my  wrist  gets  well." 

And  so  Hal  went  on  his  way.  Such  "joshing"  on  the 
part  of  a  "  buddy  "  was  of  course  absurdly  presumptuous ; 
the  superintendent  stood  looking  after  him  with  a  puzzled 
frown  upon  his  face. 


§  7.  -Hal  .did  not  look  back,  but  turned  into  the  com- 
pany-store. "  North  Valley  Trading  Company  "  read  the 
sign  over  the  door ;  within  was  a  Serbian  woman  pointing 
out  what  she  wanted  to  buy,  and  two  little  Lithuanian 
girls  watching  the  weighing  of  a  pound  of  sugar.  Hal 
strolled  up  to  the  person  wjio  was  doing  the  weighing,  a 
middle-aged  man  with  a  yellow  moustache  stained  with 
tobacco-juice.  "  Morning,  Judge," 

"  Huh !  "  was  the  reply  from  Silas  Adams,  justice  of 
the  peace  in  the  town  of  North  Valley. 


114  KING  GOAL 

"  Judge,"  said  Hal,  "  what  do  you  think  about  the  elec- 
tion ? " 

".I  don't  think  about  -it,"-  said  the  other.  "Busy 
weighin'  sugar." 

"  Anybody  round  here  going  to  Vote  for  MacDougall  ?  " 

"  They  better  not  tell  me  if  they  are !  " 

"What?"  smiled  Hal.  "In.  this  free  American  re- 
public?" 

"In  this  part  of  the  free  American  republic  a  man  is 
free  to  dig  coal,  but  not  to  vote  for  a  skunk  like  Mac- 
Dougall." Then,  having  tied  up  the  sugar,  the  "  J.  P." 
whittled  .off  a  -fresh  chew  from  his  plug,  and  turned  to 
Hal.  "  What -II  you  have  ?" 

Hal  purchased  half  a  pound  of  dried  peaches,  so  that 
he  might  have  an  excuse  to  loiter,  and  be  able  to  keep  time 
with  the  jaws  of  the  Judge.  While  the  order  .was  being 
filled,  he  seated  himself  upon  the  counter.  "  You  know," 
said  he,  "I  used  to  work  in  a  grocery." 

"That  so?     Whereat?" 

"Peterson  &  Co.,  in  American  City."  Hal  had  told 
this  so  often  that  he  had  begun  to  believe  it. 

"  Pay  pretty  good  up  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,  pretty  fair."  Then,  realising  that  he  had  no 
idea  what  would  constitute  good  pay  in  a  grocery,  Hal 
added,  quickly,  "  Got  a  bad  wrist  here !  " 

"That  so?"  said  the  other. 

He  did  not  show  much  sociability;  but  Hal  persisted, 
refusing  to  believe  that  any  one  in  a  country  store  would 
miss  an  opening  to  discuss  politics,  even  with  a  miner's 
helper.  "  Tell  me,"  said  he,  "just  what  is  the  matter 
with  MacDougall  2 " 

"  The  matter  with  him,"  s#id  the  Judge,  "is  that  the 
company's  against  him."  He  looked  hard  at  the  young 
miner.  "  You  meddlin'  in  politics  ?  "  he  growled.  But 
the  young  miner's  gay  brown  eyes  showed  only  appreci- 
ation of  the  earlier  response ;  so  the  "  J.  P."  was  tempted 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  115 

into  specifying  the  would-be  congressman's  vices.  Thus 
conversation  started ;  and  pretty  soon  the  others  in  the 
store  joined  in — "  Bob  "  Johnson,  bookkeeper  ,.  and 
post-master,,  and  "  Jake  "  Bredovich,  the  Galieian  Jew 
(who  was  a  member  of  the  local  school-board,  and  knew  the 
words  for  staple  groceries  in  fifteen  languages. 
-  Hal  listened  to  an  exposition  of  the  crimes  of  the. politi- 
cal opposition  in  Pedro  Oounty*  Their,  candidate,  Mac- 
Dougall,  had  come  to  the  state  as  a  "  tinrhorn  gambler," 
yet  now  he'was  going  around  making  speeches  in  churches, 
and  talking  about  the  moral  sentiment  of  the  community. 
"  And  him  with  a  district  chairman  keeping  three;  families 
in  Pedro!  "  declared  Si. Adams. 

"  Well/7  ventured  Hal,  "  if  what  1  hear  is  true,  the 
Republican  ch airmail  isn't  a. plaster  saint*.  They  say  he 
was  drunk  at  the  convention — " 

"Maybe  so,"  said  the  "  J.  P."   ;"But  we  .ain't  playiu' 

for  the  prohibition  vote;   and  we  ain't  playin'  for  the 

-.-labour:  vote  — r  tryin.'  to  stir  up  the  riff-raft  in  these  coal- 

carnps, , .  prooaisin' i 'era  high  wages  an',  short  hours.     Don't 

he  know  he  can't  get  it,. for  'eih .?. .   But  he.figgers  he'll  go 

off  to  Washington  and  leave  us  here  to  deal  with  the  mess 

'he's  stirred -up!  " 

"  Don't  you  fret,"  put  in  Bob  Johnson  — "  he  ain't  goiii' 
.  to  no  Washin'ton." 

The  other  two  agreed,  and. -Hal  ventured  ..again, ,  "  He 
i says  you  stuff  the  ballot-boxes.-''         . 

"  What  do  yoii'su])posle  his  c-rowd  is  iloln'  in  |he  cities  ? 
•We  got  to  meet  'em  some  way1,,  ain't,  .we  ?; "• 

"Oh,  I  see,"' said)  Hal,  naively.  "You. stuff  them 
worse !  " 

"  Sometimes  we  stuff  the  boxes,  and- sometimes: we  stuff 

the  votei^s."  ;  There  was  an  appreciative, titter  from  the 

•  others,  'and   the    "  J.    I*,"   was  ;  moved   to   reminiscence. 

"  Two  years  ago  T  was  election  clerk,  .over  to  Sheridan, 

and  we  found  we'd  let  ..'em  get.iatyead  of.  us  — they  had 


116  KINO  COAL 

carried  the  whole  state.  '  By  God,7  said  All 
i  we'll  show  'em  a  trick  from  the  coal-counties  I  And 
there  won't  be  no  recount  business  either ! '  So  we  held 
back  our  returns  till  the  rest  had  come  in,  and  when  we 
seen  how  many  votes  we  needed,  we  wrote  'em  down.  And 
that  settled  it." 

"  That  seems  a  simple  method,"  remarked  Hal. 
"  They'll  have  to  get  up  early  to  beat  All" 

"  You  bet  you !  "  said  Si,  with  the  complacency  of  one 
of  the  gang.  "  They  call  this  county  the  *  Empire  of 
Raymond.' ' 

"  It  must  be  a  cinch,"  said  Hal  — "  being  the  sheriff, 
and  having  the  naming  of  so  many  deputies  as  they  need 
in  these  coal-camps !  " 

"  Yes,"  agreed  the  other.  "  And  there's  his  wholesale 
liquor  business,  too.  If  you  want  a  license  in  Pedro 
county,  you  not  only  vote  for  Alf,  but  you  pay  your  bills 
on  time !  " 

"  Must  be  a  fortune  in  that !  "  remarked  Hal ;  and  the 
Judge,  the  Post-master  and  the  School-commissioner  ap- 
peared like  children  listening  to  a  story  of  a  feast.  "  You 
bet  you !  " 

"  I  suppose  it  takes  money  to  run  politics  in  this  county," 
Hal  added. 

"  Well,  Alf  don't  put  none  of  it  up,  you  can  bet ! 
That's  the  company's  job." 

This  from  the  Judge;  and  the  School-commissioner 
added,  "JDe  coin  in  dese  camps  is  beer." 

"  Oh,  I  see !  "  laughed  Hal.  "  The  companies  buy 
Alf  s  beer,  and  use  it  to  get  him  votes !  " 

"  Sure  thing !  "  said  the  Post-master. 

At  this  moment  he  happened  to  reach  into  his  pocket 
for  a  cigaT,  and  Hal  observed  a  silver  shield  on  the  breast 
of  his  waistcoat.  "That  a  deputy's  badge?"  he  in- 
quired, and  then  turned  to  examine  the  School-commis- 
sioner's costume.  "  Where's  yours  ?  " 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  117 

"  I  git  mine  ven  election  comes,"  said  Jake,  with  a  grin. 

"And  yours,  Judge  ? " 

"I'm  a  justice  of  the  peace,  young  feller,"  said  Silas, 
with  dignity.  , 

Leaning  round,  and  observing  a  bulge  on  the  right  hip 
of  the  School'-cojnmissioner,  Hal  put  out  his  hand  towards 
it.  Instinctively  the  other  moved  his  hand  to  the  spot. 

Hal  turned  to  the  Post-master.     "  Yours?  "  he  asked. 

"  Mine's  under  the  counter,"  grinned  Bob. 

'*  And  yours,  Judge  ?  " 

"Mine's  in  the  desk,"  said. the  Judge. 
.  Hal  drew  a  breath.  "  Gee !  "  said  he.  "  It's  .like  a 
steel  trap;!  "  He  managed  to  keep  the  laugh  on  his  face, 
but  within  he  was  conscious  of  other  feelings  than  those 
of  amusement.  He  was  losing  that  "first  fine  careless 
rapture  "  with  which  he  had  set 'out  to  run  with  the  hare 
and  the  hounds  in  North  Valley ! 


§  8.  Two  days  after  this  beginning  of  Hal's  political 
career,  it  was  arranged  that  the  workers  who  were  to  make 
•  a  demand  for  a  check- weighman  should  meet  in  the  home 
of  Mrs.  David.  When  Mike  Sikoria  came  up  from  the 
pit  that  day,  Hal  took  him, aside  and  told  him  of  the  gath- 
ering. A  look  of  delight  came  upon  the  old  Slovak's  face 
as  he  listened;  he  grabbed  his  buddy  by  the  shoulders, 
crying,  "  You  mean  it  ?  " 

"Sure  meant  it,"  said  Hal.  ".You  want  to  be  on  the 
committee  to  go  and  see  the  boss?  " 

"  Plulia  liedna!"  cried  Mike  —  which  is  something 
dreadful  in  his  own  language. ,  "By  Judas,  I  pack  up  my 
old  box  again!  " 

Hal  felt  a  guilty  pang.  Should  he  let  this  old  man  into 
the  thing?  "  You  think .  you'll  have  to  move  out  of 
camp? "  he  asked. 

"  Move  out  of  state  this  time!     Move  back  to  old  coun- 


118  KIXG  COAL 

trv,  maybe!"  Aiid  Hal  realised  that  he  could  not  stop 
him  now,  even  if  he  wanted  to.  The  old  fellow  was  so 
much  excited  that  he  hardly  ate  any  supper,  and  his  buddy 
was  afraid  to  leave  him  alone,  for  fear  he  might  blurt  out 
the  news. 

It  had  been  agreed  that  those- who  attended  the  meeting 
should  come  one  by  one,  and  by  different  routes.  Hal  was 
one  of  the  first  to  arrive,  and  he  saw  that  the  shades  of 
the  house  had  been  drawn,  and  the  lamps  turned  low.  He 
entered  by  the  back  door,  where  "Big  Jack"  David  stood 
on  guard.  "  Big  Jack,"  who  had  been  a  member  of  the 
South  Wales  Federation  at  home,  made  sure  of  Hal's 
identity,  and  then  passed  him  in  without  a  word. 

Inside  was  Mike —  the  first  on  hand.  Mrs,  David,  a 
little  black-eyed  woman  with  a  never-ceasing  tongue,  was 
bustling  about,  putting  things  in  order;  she  was  so  nervous 
that  she  could  not  sit  still.  This  couple  had  come  from 
their  birth-place  only  a  year  or  so  ago,  and  had  brought 
all  their  wedding  presents  to  their  new  home; — pictures 
and  bric-a-brac  and  linen.  It  was  the  prettiest  home  Hal 
had  so  far  been  in,  and  Mrs.  David  was  risking  it  delib- 
erately, because  of  her  indignation  that  her  husband  had 
had  to  foreswear  his  union  in  order  to  get  work  in  America. 

The  young  Italian,  Kevetta,  came,  then  old  John 
Edstrom.  There  being  not  chairs  enough  in  the  house, 
Mrs.  David  had  set  some  boxes  against  the  wall,  covering 
them  with  cloth ;  and  Hal  noticed  that  each  person  took 
one  of  these  boxes,  leaving  the  chairs  for  the  later  comers. 
Each  one  as  he  came  in  would  nod  to  the  others,  and  then 
silence  would  fall  again. 

When  Mary  Burke  entered,  Hal  divined  from  her  aspect 
and  manner  that  she  had  sunk  back  into  her  old  mood  of 
pessimism.  He  felt  a  momentary  resentment.  He  was 
so  thrilled  with  this  adventure;  he  wanted  everybody  else 
to  be  thrilled  —  especially  Mary!  Like  every  one  who 
has  not  suffered  much,  he  was  repelled  by  a  condition  of 


THE  SEKFS  OF  KING  COAL  119 

perpetual  suffering  in  another.  Of  course  Mary  had  good 
reasons  for  her  black  moods  —  but  she  herself  considered 
it  necessary  to  apologise  for  what  she  called  her  "  com- 
plainin'  " !  She  knew  that  he  wanted  her  to  help  en- 
courage the  others ;  but  here  she  was,  putting  herself  in  a 
corner  and  watching  this  wonderful  proceeding,  as  if  she 
had  said :  "  I'm  an  ant,  and  I  stay  in  line  —  but  I'll 
not  pretend  I  have  any  hope  in  it!  " 

Rosa  and  Jerry  had  insisted  on  coming,  in  spite  of 
Hal's  offer  to  spare  them.  After  them  came  the  Bul- 
garian, Wresmak ;  then  the  -Polacks,  Klowoski  and  Zamie- 
rowski.  Hal  found  these  difficult  names  to  remember,  but 
the  Polacks  were  not  at  all  sensitive  about  this;  they  would 
grin  good-naturedly  while  he  practised,  nor  would  they 
mind  if  he  gave  it  up  and  called  them  Tony  and  Pete. 
They  were  humble  men,  accustomed  all  their  lives  to  being 
driven  about.  Hal  looked  from  one  to  another  of  their 
bowed  forms  ,and  toil-worn  faces,  appearing  more  than 
ever  sombre  and  mournful  in  the  dim  light;  he  wondered 
if  the  cruel  persecution  which  had  driven  them  to  protest 
would  suffice  to  hold  them  in  line. 

Once  a  newcomer,  having  misunderstood  the  orders, 
came  to  the  front  door  and  knocked;  and  Hal  noted  that 
every  one  started,  and  some  rose  to  their  feet  in  alarm. 
Again  he  recognised  the  atmosphere  of  novels  of  Russian 
revolutionary  life.  He  had  to  remind  himself  that  these 
men  and  women,  gathered  here  like  criminals,  were  merely 
planning  to  ask  for  a  right  guaranteed  them  by  the  law ! 

The  last  to  come  was  an  Austrian  miner  named  Huszar, 
with  whom  Olson  had  got  into  touch.  Then,  it  being  time 
to  begin,  everybody  looked  uneasily  at  everybody  else. 
Few  of  them  had  conspired  before,  and  they  did  not  know 
quite  how  to  set  "about  it.  Olson,  the  one  who  would  natu- 
rally have  been  their  leader,  had  deliberately  stayed  away. 
They  must  run  this  check-weighman  affair  for  themselves ! 

"Somebody  talk,"  said  Mrs.  David  at  last;  and  then, 


120  KING  COAL 

as  the.  silence  continued,   she  turned  .to  Hal.     "  You're 
going  to  be  the  eheck-weighman.      You  talk." 

"  I'm  the  youngest  man  here/'  said  Hal,  with  a  smile. 
"  Some  older  fellow  -talk." 

But  nobody  else  smiled.  "  Go  on !"  exclaimed  old 
Mike;  and  so  at  last  Hal  stood  up.  It  was  something  he 
was  to  experience  many  times  in  the  future;  because  he 
was  an  American,  and  educated,  he  was  forced  into  a  posi- 
tion of  leadership. 

"  As^I  understand  it,  you  people  want  a  check-weigh- 
•man.  QSTow,  they  tell  me  the  pay  for  a  che.ck-weighnuin 
should  be  three  dollars  a  day,  but  we've  got  only  seven 
miners,  among  us,  and  that's  not  enough.  I  will  offer. to 
take  ithe  job  for  twenty-five  cents  a  day  from  each  man, 
which  will  make  a 'dollar-seventy-five,  less  than  what  I'm 
getting  now  as  a  buddy.  If  we  get  thirty  men  to  come  in, 
then  I'll  take  ten  cents  a  day  from  each,  and  make  the 
full  three  dollars.  Does  that  ^seem  fair?" 

"'Sure!'"  said  Mike;  and  the  others  added  their  assent 
by  word  or  nod. 

"All  right.  Now,  there's  nobody  that  works  in  this 
mine  but  knows  the  men  don't  get  their  weight.  It  would 
cost  the  company  several  hundred  dollars  a  day  to  give  us 
our  weight,  and  nobody  should  be  so  foolish  as  to  imagine 
they'll  do  it  without  a  struggle.  We've  got  to  make  up 
our  minds  to  stand  together." 

"-Sure,  stand  together!"  cried  Mike. 

"No 'get  eheck-weighman!"  exclaimed  Jerry,  pessimis- 
tically,  i 
-•"  Not  unless  we  try;,  Jerry,"  said  Hal. 

And  Mike  thumped  his  knee.  "Sure  try!  And  get 
him  too!  "  • 

"  Right !  "  cried"  Big  Jack."  But  his  little  wife  was 
not  satisfied  with  the  response  of  the  others.  She  gave 
Hal  his  first  lesson  in  the  drilling  of  these  polyglot  masses. 
"  Talk  to  them.  Make  them  understand  >you !  "  And  she 


THE*  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  121 

pointed  them  out  one  by.  one' with  her  finger:  "  You! 
You!  Wresmak,  here,  and  you,  Klowoski,  and  you,  Zam 
—  you  other  Polish  :fello\v.'>  Want  check-weighman. 
Want '  to  get  all  weight.  Get  all  our  money.  Under- 
stand?77 

"  Yes,  yes !  " 

"  Get  committee,  go  see  super !  Want  check-weighman. 
Understand?  Got  to  have  check-weighman!  No  back 
down,  no  spare.77 

"  No  —  no  scare ! "  Klowoski,  who  understood  some 
English,  explained  rapidly  to  Zamieroweki;  and  Zarnie- 
rowski,  whose  head  was  still  plastered  where  -J-eif  Cotton's 
revolver  had  hit  it,  nodded  eagerly  in  assent.  In  spite- 
of  his  bruises,  he  would  stand  by  the  others,  and  face  the 


This  suggested  another  question.  :i  Who's  going  to  do 
the  talking  to  the  boss  ?  " 

"  You  do  that,77  said  Mrs.  David,  to  Hal. 

"  But  I7m  the  one  that's >  to  be  paid. '  It's  not  for  me 
to  talk.77 

"  No  one  else  can  do  it  right,77  declared  the  woman. 

"  Sure  —  got  to  be  American  feller !  '*  said  M  ike. 

But  Hal  insisted.  If  he  did  the  talking,  it  would  look 
as  if  the  eheck-weighman  had  been  the  source  of  the  move- 
ment, and  was  engaged  in  making  a  good  paying  job  for 
himself. 

There  was  discussion  back  and  forth,  until  finally  John 
Edstrom  spoke  up.  ."  Put  me  on  the  committee.'7 

"  You  ?.'7'sidd  Hal.  "  But  you'll  be  thrown  out !  And 
what  will  your  wife  do? 7; 

"I  think  my  wife  is  going  to  die  to-night,77  said  Ed- 
strom, simply. 

He  sat  with  his  lips  set  tightly,  looking  straight  before 
him.  After  a  pause  he  went  on  :  "  If  it  isn't  to-night,  it 
will  be  to-morrow,  tile- doctor 'says;  and  after  that,  nothing 
will  matter.  I  shall  have  to*  go  down  to  Pedro  to  bury 


122  KING  COAL 

her,  and  if  I  have  to  stay,  it  will  make  little  difference  to 
me,  so  I  might  as  well  do  what  I  can  for  the  rest  of  you. 
I've  been  a  miner  all  my  life,  and  Mr.  Cartwright  knows 
it ;  that  might  have  some  weight  with  him.  Let  Joe  Smith 
and  Sikoria  and  myself  be  the  ones  to  go  and  see  him,  and 
the  rest  of  you  wait,  and  don't  give  up  your  jobs  unless 
vou  have  to." 


§  9.  Having  settled  the  matter  of  the  committee,  Hal 
told  the  assembly  how  Alec  Stone  had  asked  him  to  spy 
upon  the  men.  He  thought  they  should  know  about  it; 
the  bosses  might  try  to  use  it  against  him,  as  Olson  had 
warned.  "  They  may  tell  you  I'm  a  traitor,"  he  said. 
"  You  must  trust  me." 

"  We  trust  you!"  exclaimed  Mike,  with  fervour;  and 
the  others  nodded  their  agreement. 

"  All  right,"  Hal  answered.  "  You  can  rest  sure  of 
this  one  thing  —  if  I  get  onto  that  tipple,  you're  going  to 
get  your  weights !  " 

"  Hear,  hear!  "cried  "Big  Jack,"  in  English  fashion. 
And  a  murmur  ran  about  the  room.  They  did  not  dare 
make  much  noise,  but  they  made  clear  that  that  was  what 
they  wanted. 

Hal  sat  down,  and  began  to  unroll  the  bandage  from 
his  wrist.  "  I  guess  I'm  through  with  this,"  he  said,  and 
explained  how  he  had  come  to  wear  it. 

"  What  ?  "  cried  Old  Mike.  "  You  fool  me  like  that?  " 
And  he  caught  the  wrist,  and  when  he  had  made  sure  there 
was  no  sign  of  swelling  upon  it,  he  shook  it  so  that  he 
almost  sprained  it  really,  laughing  until  the  tears  ran 
down  his  cheeks.  "  You  old  son-of-a-gun !  "  he  exclaimed. 
Meantime  Klowoski  was  telling  the  story  to  Zamierowski, 
and  Jerry  Minetti  was  explaining  it  to  Wresmak,  in  the 
sort  of  pidgin-English  which  does  duty  in  the  camps.  Hal 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  123 

had  never  seen  such  real  laughter  since  coming  to  North 
Valley. 

But  conspirators  cannot  lend  themselves  long  to  merri- 
ment. They  came  back  to  business  again.  It  was  agreed 
that  the  hour  for  the  committee's  visit  .to  the  superintend- 
ent should  be  quitting-time  on  the  morrow.  And  then 
John  Edstrom  spoke,  suggesting  that  they  should  agree 
upon  their  course  of  action  in  case  they  were  offered  vio- 
lence. 

"  You  think  there's  much  chance  of  that  ?  "  said  some 
one. 

"  Sure  there  be!  "  cried  Mike  Sikoria.  "  One  time  in 
Cedar  Mountain  we  go  see  boss,  say  air-course  blocked. 
What  you  think  he  do  them  fellers?  He  hit  them  one 
lick  in  nose,  he  kick  them  three  times  in  behind,  he  run 
them  out !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Hal,  "  if  there's  going  to  be  anything  like 
that,  we  must  be  ready." 

"  What  you  do?  "  demanded  Jerry. 

It  was  time  for  Hal's  leadership.  "  If  he  hits  me  one 
lick  in  the  nose,"  he  declared,  "  I'll  hit  him  one  lick  in 
the  nose,  that's  all," 

There  was  a  bit  of  applause  at  this.  That  was  the  way 
to  talk !  Hal  tasted  the  joys  of  his  leadership.  'But  then 
his  fine  self-confidence  met  with  a  sudden  check  —  a  "lick 
in  the  nose  "  of  his  pride,  so  to  speak.  There  came  a 
woman's  voice  from  the  corner,  low  and  grim :  "  Yes ! 
And  get  j^e'self  killed  for  all  your!  trouble !  " 

He  looked  towards  Mary  Burke,  and  saw  her  vivid  face, 
flushed  and"  frowning.  "  What  do  you  mean?  "  he  asked. 
"  Would  you  have  us  turn  and  run  away  ?  " 

"I  would  that!"  said  she.  "Rather  than  have  ye 
killed,  I  would !  What'll  ye  do  if  he  pullg  his  gun  on 
ye.?  " 

"  Would  he  pull  his  gun  on  a  committee?  " 

Old  Mike  broke  in  again.     "One  time  in  Barela — 


124  KING  GOAL 

ain't  I  told  you  how.' I  lose  my  cars?  I  tell  weigh-boss 
somebody  steal  my  cars,  and  he  pull  gun  on  me,  and  he 
say,  'Get  the  hell  oft'  that  tipple,  you  old  billy-goat,  1 
shoot  you  full  of  holes !'" 

Among,  .his  class-mates  at  college,  Hal  had  been  wont  to 
argue  that  the  proper  way  to  handle  a  burglar  was  to  call 
out  to  him,  saying,  "  Go  ahead,  old  chap,  and  help  your- 
self; there's  nothing  here  I'm  willing  to  get  shot' for." 
What  was  the  value  of  anything  a  burglar  could  steal,  in 
comparison  with  a  man's  own  life?  And  surely,  one 
would  have  thought,  this  was  a  good  time  to  apply  -the 
plausible  theory.  But  for  some  reason  Hal  failed  even  to 
remember  it.  He  was  going  ahead,  precisely  as  if  a  ton 
of  coal  per  day  was  the  one  thing  of  consequence  in  life! 

"  What  shall  we  dp?-"  he  asked.  "We  -donH  want  to 
back  out.'7 

But  even  while  he  asked  the  question,*  Hal  was  realising 
that  Mary  was  right.  His  was  the  attitude  of  the  leisure- 
class  person,  used  to  having  his  own  way;  but  Mary, 
though  she  had  a  temper  too,  was  pointing  the  lesson  of 
self-control.  It  was  the  second  time  to-night  that  she  had 
injured  his  pride.  But  now  he  forgave  her  in  his  ad- 
miration;  he  had  always  known  that  Mary  had  a  mind 
and, could  help  him!  His  admiration  was  increased  by 
what  John  Edstrom  was  saying  —  they  must  do  nothing 
that  would  injure  the  cause  of  the  "  big  union,'7  and  so 
they  must  resolve  to  offer  n'o  physical  resistance,  no  matter 
what  might  be  done  to  them. 

.  There  was  vehement  argument  on  the  other  side.  "  We 
fight!  We  fight!  77  declared  Old  Mike,  and  cried  out  sud- 
denly, as  if  in  anticipation  of  the  pain  in  his  injured 
nose.- '  "  You  say  me  stand  that? 77 

44  If  you  fight  back,77  said  Edstrom,  "we'll  all  get  the 
worst  of  it.  The  company  will  say  we  started  the  trouble, 
and  put  us  in  the  wrong.  We've  got  to  make  up  our  mind 
to  rely  on  moral  force.77 


THE  SERFS  OF  KOTO  COAL  125 

So,  after  more  discussion,  it  was  agreed;  every  man 
would  keep  his  temper  —  that  is,  if  he  could!  So  they 
shook  hands  all  round,  pledging  themselves  to  stand  firm. 
But,  when  the  meeting  was  declared  adjourned,  and  they 
stole  out  one  by  one  into  the  night,  they  were  a  very  sober 
and  anxious  lot  of  conspirators. 


§  10.  Hal  slept  hut  little  that  night.  Amid  the 
sounds  of  the  snoring  of  eight  of  Reminitsky's  other  board- 
ers, he  lay  going  over  in  his  mind  various  things  which 
might  happen  on  the  morrow.  Some  of  them  were  far 
from  pleasant  things;  he  tried  to  picture  himself  with  a 
broken  nose,  or  with  :tar  and  feathers  on  him.  He  re- 
called his  theory  as  to  the  handling  of  burglars.  The 
"  G.  F.  C."  was  a  burglar  of  gigantic  and  terrible  propor- 
tions ;  surely  this  was  a  time  to  call  out,  "  Help  yourself !  " 
But  instead  of  doing  it,  Hal  thought  about  Edstrom's 
ants,  and  wondered  at  the  power  which  made  them  stay 
in  line. 

When  morning  came,  he  went  up  into  the  mountains, 
where  a  man  may  wander  and  renew  his  moral  force. 
When  the  sun  had  descended  behind  the  mountain-tops, 
•he  descended  also,  and  met  Edstrom  and  Sikoria  in  front 
of  the  company  office. 

They  nodded  a  greeting,  and  Edstrom  told  Hal  that 
his  wife  had  died  during  the  day.  There  being  no  under- 
taker in  North  Valley,  he  had  arranged  for  a  woman 
..friend  to  take  the  body  down,  to  .Pedro,  so  that  he  might 
be  free  for  the  interview  with  Cartwright.  Hal  put  his 
'hand  on  the  old  man's  shoulder,  but  attempted  no  word  of 
'condolence ;  he  saw  that  Edstrom  had  faced  the  trouble 
and  was  ready  for  duty. 

"  Come  ahead,"  said  the  old  man,  and  the  three  went 
into  the  office. v'  While  a  clerk  took  their  message  to  the 


126  KING  COAL 

inner  office,  .they  stood  for  a  couple  of  minutes,  shifting 
uneasily  from  one  foot  to  the  other,  arid  turning  their 
caps  in  their  hands  in  the  familiar  manner  of  the  lowly. 

At  last  Mr.  Cartwright  appeared  in  the  doorway,  his 
small  sparely-built  figure  eloquent  of  sharp  authority. 
"  Well,  what's  this  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  If  you  please/'  said  Edstrom,  "  we'd  like  to  speak  to 
you.  We've  decided,  sir,  that  we  want  to  have  a  check- 
weighman." 

:'  What  ?  ''     The  word  came  like  the  snap  of  a  whip. 
i  "  We^d  like  to  have  a  check-weighirian,  sir." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  "  Come  in  here." 
They  filed  into  the  inner  office,  and  he  shut  the  door. 

"  Now.     What's  this  ?  " 
1  Edstrom  repeated  his  words  again. 

"  What  put  that  notion  into  your  heads  ?  " 

"Nothing,  sir;  only  we  thought  we'd  be  better  satis- 
fied." 

"  You  think  you're  not  getting  your  weight  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,  you  see  —  some  of  the  men  —  we  think  it 
would  be  better  if  we  had  the  check-weighman.  We're 
•willing 'to  pay  for  him." 

"Who's  this  check-weighmaii  to  be?  " 

"  Joe  Smith,  here." 

Hal  braced  himself  to  meet  the  other's  stare.  "Oh! 
So  it's  you!"  Then,,  after  a  moment,  "So  that's  why 
you  were  feeling  so  gay !  " 

Hal  was  not  feeling  in  the  least  gay  at  the  moment ;  but 
he  forebore  to  say  so.  There  was  a  silence. 

"  Now,  why  do  you  fellows  want  to  throw  away  your 
money  ?  "  The  superintendent  started  to  argue  with  them, 
showing'  the  absurdity  of  the  notion  that  they  could  gain 
anything  by  such  a  course.  The  mine  had  been  running 
for  years  on  its  present  system,  and  there  had  never  been 
any  complaint.  •  The  idea  that  a  company  as  big  and  as 
responsible  as  the  "  G.  F.  C."  would  stoop  to  cheat  its 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  127 

workers  out  of  a  few  tons  of  coal !  And  so  on,  for  several 
••minutes. 

"  Mr.  Cart wright,"  said  Edstrom,  when  the  other  had 
finished,  "  you  know  I've  worked  all  my  life  in  mines,  and 
most  of  it  in  this  district.  I  am  telling  you  something  I 
know  when  I  say  there  is  general  dissatisfaction  through- 
out these  camps  because  the  men  feel  they  are  not  getting 
their  weight.  You  say  there  has  been  no  public  com- 
.plaint ;  you  understand  the  reason  for  this  — " 

"  What  is  the  reason  ?  " 

"Well,"  said  Edstrom,  gently,  "maybe  you  don't1- know 
the  reason  —  but  anyway  we've  decided  that  we  want  a 
check-weighman." 

It  was  evident  that  the  superintendent  had  been  taken 
by  surprise,  and  was  uncertain  how  to  meet  the  issue. 
"  You  can  imagine,"  he  said,  at  last,  "  the  company 
doesn't  relish  hearing  that  its"  men  believe  it's  cheating 
them  — " 

"We  don't  say  the  company  knows  anything  about  it, 
Mr.  Cartwright.  It's  possible  that  some  people  mav  be 
taking  advantage  of  us,  without  either  the  company  or 
yourself  having  anything  to  do  with  it.  It's  for  your 
protection  as  well  as  ours  that  a  check-weighman  is 
needed." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  other,  drily.  His  tone  revealed 
that  he  was  holding  himself  in  by  an  effort.  "  Very  well," 
he  added,  at  last.  "That's  enough  about  the  matter,  if 
your  minds  are  made  up.  I'll  give  you  my  decision  later." 

This  was  &  dismissal,  and  Mike  Sikoria  turned  humbly, 
and  started  to  the  door.  But  Edstrom  was  one  of  the 
ants  that  did  not  readily  "  step  one  side  " ;  and  Mike  took 
a  glance  at  him,  and  then  stepped  back  into  line  in  a 
hurry,  as  if  hoping  his  delinquency  had  not  been  noted. 

"  If  you  please,  Mr.  Cartwright,"  said  Edstrom,  "  we'd 
like  your  decision,  so  as  to  have  the  check-weighman  start 
in  the  morning." 


128  KING  COAL' 

"  What  t    You're  in  such  a  hurry  'I  " 

"  There's  no  reason  for  delay,  sir.  .  We've  selected  our 
man,  and  we're  ready  to  pay  him." 

"  Who  are  the  men  who  are  ready  to  pay  him?  Just 
you  two  2 . " 

"  I  am  not  at  liberty'  to  name  the  other  men,  sir." 

•"  Oh !  u  So  it's  a  secret  movement!  " 

"  In  a  -way  —  yes,  sir." 

"  Indeed !  "  said  the  superintendent,  ominously.  "  iAnd 
you  don't  care  what  the  company  thinks  about  it !  " 

."It's  not  that,  Mr.'Cartwrjght,.  hut  we  don't  see  any- 
thing for  the  company  to  object  to.  It's  a  simple  business 
arrangement  — " 

"  Well,  if  it  seems  simple  to  you,  it  doesn't  ,to  me," 
snapped  the  other.  And  then,  getting  .himself  in 'hand, 
"  Understand  -me,  the  company  would  not  have  the  least 
objection  to  the  nien  making  sure  of  their  weights,  if  they 
really  think  it's  necessary.  The  company  has  always.;been 
willing  to  do  the  right  thing.  .But  it's  not  a  matter  that 
can  be  settled  off  hand.  J.  will  let  you  know  later." 

Again  they  were  .dismissed,  and  again  Old  Mike  turned, 
and  Edstrom  also.  But  now, another  ant  sprang  into  the 
ditch.  "  Just  when  will  you-be  prepared  to  let  the  check- 
weighman  begin  work,  Mr.  Cartwright?"  asked  Hal. 

'The  superintendent  gave  him  a  sharp  look,  and  -again 
it  could  be  seen  that  he  made  a  strong  effort  to  keep  his 
temper.  "I'm  .not  prepared  to  say,"  he  replied.  "I 
will  let  you  know,  as  aoon  !as  convenient  to  me.  That's 
all  now."  And  as  he  spoke  he  opened  the  door,  putting 
something, into  the,  action  that  was  a  command. 

"Mr.  Cartwrighit,"  jsaixl  Hal,  "there's  no  law  , against 
our  having  a  check-weighman,,  is  there  ?  "  . 

The  look  which  these  words  drew  from  the  superin- 
tendent showed  that  he  knew  full  well  what; -the  law.  was. 
Hal  accepted  this  look  as  an  answer,  and"  continued,  "  I 
have  been  selected  by  a  committee  of  the  men  to  act  as 


THE  SERFS  OF  'KING  COAL  129 

their  check-weighman,  and  this  committee  has  duly  noti- 
fied the  company.  That  makes  me  a  check- we  ighman,  I 
believe,  Mr.  Cart-wright,  arid  so-all  I  have  to  do  is  to  as- 
sume my  duties.7'  Without  waiting  for  th«  superintend- 
ent's, answer,  he  walked  to  the  door,  followed  by  his  some- 
what i  shocked  companions. 


§  11.  At  the  meeting  on  the  night  before  it  had  been 
agreed  -to  spread  the  news  of  the  check-weighman  move- 
ment, £or  the  sake  of  its  propaganda  value.  So  now  when..- 
the  three  men  came  out  from  the  office,  there  was  a  crowd 
waiting  to  know  what  had  happened ;  men  clamoured  ques- 
tions, and  each  one  who  got  the  story  would  be  surrounded 
by  others  eager  to  hear.  Hal  made  his  way  to  the  board- 
ing-house, and  when  he  had  finished  his  supper,  he  set  out 
from  place  to  place  in  the  camp,  telling  the  men  about  the 
check-weighman  plan  and  explaining  that  it  was  a  legal 
right  they  were  demanding.  All  this  while  Old  Mike 
stayed  on  one  side  of  him,  and  Edstrom  on  thepther;  for 
Tom-  Olson  had  insisted  strenuously  that  Hal  should  not 
be  left  alone  for  a  moment.  Evidently  the  bosses  had 
given  the  same  order ;  for  when  Hal-  came  out  from  Eemi- 
nitsky's,  there  was  "  Jake  "  Predovich,  the  store-clerk,  on 
the  'fringe  of  the  crowd,  and  he  followed  wherever  Hal 
went,  doubtless  making  note  of  every  one  he  spoke  to. 

They  consulted  as  to  where  they  were  to  spend  the  night. 
Old  Mike  was  nervous;  taking  the  activities  of  the  spy  to 
mean  that  they  were  to  be  thugged  in  the  darkness.  He 
told  horrible  stories  of  that  sort  of  thing.  What  could  be 
an  easier  way  for  the  company  to  settle  the  matter  ?  They 
would  fix  up  some  story;  the  world  outside  would  believe 
they  had  been  killed  in  a  drunken  row,  perhaps  over  some 
woman..  This  last  suggestion  especially  troubled  Hal;  lie 
thought1' of  the  people  at  home.  No,  he  must  riot  sleep  in 
the  village!  And  on  the  .other: hand  he  could  not  go  down 


130  KING  COAL 

the  canyon,  for  if  lie  once  passed  the  gate,  he  might  not 
be  allowed  to  repass  it. 

An  idea  occurred  to  him.  Why  not  go  up  the  canyon  ? 
There  was  no  stockade  at  the  upper  end  of  the  village  — 
nothing  but  wilderness  and  rocks,  without  even  a  road. 

"  But  where  we  sleep  ?  "  demanded  Old  Mike,  aghast. 

"  Outdoors,"  said  Hal. 

"  Pluha  biedna!  And  get  the  night  air  into  my 
bones  ?  " 

"  You  think  you  keep  the  day  air  in  your  bones  when 
you  sleep  inside  ?  "  laughed  Hal. 

"  Why  don't  I,  when  I  shut  them  windows  tight,  and 
cover  up  my  bones  ?  " 

"  Well,  risk  the  night  air  once,"  said  Hal.  "  It's  bet- 
ter than  having  somebody  let  it  into  you  with  a  knife." 

"  But  that  fellow  Predovich  —  he  follow  us  up  canyon 
too!" 

"  Yes,  but  he's  only  one  man,  and  we  don't  have  to  fear 
him.  If  he  went  back  for  others,  he'd  never  be  able  to 
find  us  in  the  darkness." 

Edstrom,  whose  notions  of  anatomy  were  hot  so  crude 
as  Mike's,  gave  his  support  to  this  suggestion ;  so  they  got 
their  blankets  and  stumbled  up  the  canyon  in  the  still, 
star-lit  night.  For  a  while  they  heard  the  spy  behind 
them,  but  finally  his  footsteps  died  away,  and  after  they 
had  moved  on  for  some  distance,  they  believed  they  were 
safe  till  daylight.  Hal  had  slept  out  many  a  night  as  a 
hunter,  but  it  was  a  new  adventure  to  sleep  out  as  the 
game! 

At  dawn  they  rose,  and  shook  the  dew  from  their  blan- 
kets, and  wiped  it  from  their  eyes.  Hal  was  young,  and 
saw  the  glory  of  the  morning,  while  poor  Mike  Sikoria 
groaned  and  grumbled  over  his  stiff  and  aged  joints.  He 
thought  he  had  ruined  himself  forever,  but  he  took  courage 
at  Edstrom's  mention  of  coffee,  and  they  hurried  down  to 
breakfast  at  their  boarding-house. 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  131 

Now  came  a  critical  time,  when  Hal  had  to  be  left  by 
himself.  Edstrom  was  obliged  to  go  down  -to  see  to  his 
wife's  funeral ;  and  it  was  obvious  that  if  Mike  Sikoria 
were  to  lay  off  work,  he  would  be  providing  the  boss  with 
an  excuse  for  firing  him.  The  law  which  provided. for  a 
check-weighman  had  failed  to  provide  for  a  check-weigh- 
man's  body-guard ! 

Hal  had  announced  his  programme  in  that  flash  of  de- 
fiance in  Cartwright's  office.  As  soon  as  work  started  up, 
he  went  to  the  tipple.  "  Mr.  Peters,"  he  said,  to  the  tip- 
ple-boss, "  I've  come  to  act  as  check-weighmaii." 

The  tipple-boss  was  a  man  with  a  big  black  moustache, 
which  made  him  look  like  the  pictures  of  Nietzsche.  He 
stared  at  Hal,  frankly  dumbfounded.  "  What  the  devil  2  " 
said  he. 

"  Some  of  the  men-' -have  chosen  me  check-weighman," 
explained  Hal,  in  a  business-like  manner.  "  When  their 
cars  come  up,  I'll  see  to  their  weights," 

"  You  keep  off  this  tipple,  young  fellow!  "  said  Peters. 
His  manner  was  equally  business-like. 

So  the  would-be  check-wei^liman  came  out  and  sat  on 
the  steps  to  wait.  The  tipple  was  a  fairly  public  place, 
and  he  judged  he  was  as  safe  there  as  anywhere.  Some 
of  the  men  grinned  and  winked  at  him  as  they  went  about 
their  work;  several  found  a  chance  to  whisper  words  of 
encouragement.  And  all  morning  he  sat,  like  a  protestant 
at  the  palace-gates  of  a  mandarin  in  China.  It  was  tedi- 
ous work,  but  he  believed  that  he  would  be  able  to  stand 
it  longer  than  the  company. 


§  12.  In  the  middle  of  the^ morning  a  man  came  up  to 
him  — "  Bud  "  Adams,  a  younger  brother  of  the  "  J.  P.," 
and  Jeff  Cotton's  assistant.  Bud  was  stocky,  red-faced, 
and  reputed  to  be  handy  with  his  fists.  So  Hal  rose  .up 
warily  when  he  saw  him. 


KING  COAL    - 

."Hey,  you," '  said  Bud.  "  There's  a  telegram,  at  the 
office  for  you." 

"  For  me  ?  " 

"  Your  name's  Joe  Smith,  ain't  it  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  that's  what  it  says." 

Hal  considered  for  a  moment.  There  was  no  one  to  be 
telegraphing  Joe  Smith.  It  was  >  only  a  ruse  to  get  him 
away. 

"  What's  in  the  'telegram '?  "  he  asked. 

"  How  do  1  know  ?  "  said  Bud: 

"Where  is  it  from?" 

"  I  dunno  that/" 

"  Well,"  said'  Hal,  "  you  might  bring  it  to  me  here." 

The  other's  eyes  flew  open.  This  was  not  a  revolt,  it 
was  a  revolution!  "Who  the  hell's  messenger  boy  do 
you  think  I  am?-"  he  demanded. 

"Don't  the  company  deliver  telegrams? "  countered 
Hal,  politely.  And  Bud  stood  struggling  with  his  human 
impulses,  while  Hal  watched  him  cautiously.  But  appar- 
ently those  who  had  sent  the  messenger 'had  given  him  pre- 
cise instructions;  for  he  controlled  his  wrath,  and  turned 
and  strode  away. 

Hal  continued  his  vigil;  He  had  his  lunch  with  him; 
and  was  prepared  to  eat  alone — understanding  the  risk 
that  a  man  would  be  running  who  showed  sympathy  with 
him.  He  was  surprised,  therefore,  when  Johannsoiij  the 
giant  Swede,  came  and  snt  down  by  his  side.  There  also 
came  a  young  Mexican  labourer,  and  a  Greek  miner.  The 
revolution  was  spreading! 

Hal  felt  sure  the  company  would  not  let  this  go  on. 
And  sure  enough,  towards  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  the 
tipple-boss  came  out  and  beckoned:  to  him.  "  Come  here, 
you  !  "  And  Hal  went  in. 

The  "  weigh-room  "  was  a  fairly  open  place ;  but  at  one 


THE  SERFS  OF  KI'NG  COAL  133 

side  was  a  door  into  an  office.     "  This  way,"  said  the  man. 

But  Hal  stopped  where  he  was. 

"  This  is  where  the  check-weighman  belongs,  Mr. 
Peters.-' 

"  But  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

"  I  can  hear  you,  sir."  Hal  was  in  sight  of  the  men, 
ami  he  knew  that  was  his  only  protection^ 

The  tipple-boss  went  back  into  the  office;  and  a  minute 
later  Hal  saw  what' had  been  intended.  The  door  opened 
and  Alec  Stone  came  out. 

He  stood  for  a  moment  looking  at  his  political  hench- 
man. Then  he  came  up.  ."  Kid,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice, 
"  you're  overdoing  this.  I  didn't  intend  you  to  go'so  far." 

"  This  is  not  what  you  intended,  Mr.  Stone,"  answered 
Hal. 

The  pit-boss  came  closer  yet.  "  What  you  looking  for, 
kid  ?  What  you  expect  to  get  out  of  this \  " 

Hal's  gaze  was  unwavering.     "  Experience,"  he  replied.1 

"  You're  feeling  smart,  sonny*  But'  you'd  better  stop 
and  realise  what  you're  up  against.  You  ain't  going  to 
get  away  with  it,  you  know ;  get  that  through  your  head  — 
you  ain't  going  to  get  away  with-it.  You'd  better  come  in 
and  have  a  talk  with  me." 

There  was  a  silence. 

"Don't  you  know  how  it'll  be,  Smith?  These  little 
fires  start  up  — —  but  we  put  'em  out.  We  know  how  to  do 
it,  we've  got  the  machinery.  It'll  all  be  forgotten  in  a 
week- 'or  two,  and  then  where'll  you  be,  at?  Can't  you 
see  ?  " 

As  Hal  still  made  no  reply,  the  other's  voice  dropped1 
lower.  "T  understand  your  position.  Just  give  me  a 
nod,  and  it'll  be  all  right.  You  tell  the  men  that  you've' 
watched  the  weights,  and  that  they're  all  right.  They'll 
Be  satisfied;  and  you  and  me  can  fix  it  up  later:" 

"Mr.  Stone," 'said  Hal,  with  intense  gravity,  "  am  I 

10 


1,34  KING  COAL 

correct  in  the'  ira.pressi on  that  you  are  offering  me  a 
bribe  ?  " 

In  a  flash,  the  man's  self-control  vanished.  He  thrust 
his  huge  fist  within  an  inch  of  Hal's  nose,  and  uttered  a 
foul  oath.  But  Hal  did  not  remove  his  nose  from  the 
danger-zone,  and  over  the  fist  a  pair  of  angry  brown  eyes 
gazed  at  the  pit-boss.  "Mr.  Stone,  you  had  better  realise 
this  situation.  I  am  in  dead  earnest  about  this  matter, 
and  I  don't  think  it  will  be  safe  for  you  to  offer  me  vio- 
lence.'' 

For  a  moment  or  two  the  man  continued,  to  glare  at  Hal ; 
but  it  appeared  that  he,  like -Bud  Adams,  had  been  given 
instructions.  He  turned  abruptly  and  strode  back  into 
the  office.. 

Hal  stood  for  a  bit,  until  he  had  made  sure  of  his  com- 
posure. After  which  he  strolled  over  towards  the  scales. 
A  difficulty  had  occurred  to  him  for  the  first  time  —  that 
he  did  not  know  anything  about  the  working  pf  coakscales. 

But  h^e  was  given ;  no  time  to  learn.  The  tipple-boss  re- 
appeared. "  Get  out  of  here,  fellow!  'f  said  he. 

"  But  you  invited  me  in,"  remarked  Hal,  mildly. 

"  Well,  now  I  invite  .you  out  again.'7 

And  so  the  protestant  resumed  his  vigil  at  the  man- 
darin's palace-gates. 


§  3  3.  When  the  quitting- whistle  blew,  Mike  Sikoria 
came  quickly  to  join  Hal  and  hear  what  had  liappened. 
Mike  was  exultant,  for  several  new  men  had  come  up  to 
him  and  offered  to  join  the  check-weighman  movement. 
The  old  fellow  was  not  sure  whether  this  was  owing  to  his 
own  eloquence  as  a  propagandist,  or  to  the  fine  young' 
American  .buddy  he  had;  but  in  either  case  he  was  equally 
proud.  He:  gave  Hal  a  note  which  had  been  slipped  into, 
his.  hand,  and  which  Hal  recognised  as  coming  from  Tom 
Olson.  The  organiser  reported  that  every  one  in  the  camp 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  135 

was'  talking  cbeck-weighman,  and  so  from  a  propaganda 
standpoint  they  could  count  their  move  a  success,  no  mat' 
ter  what  the  bosses  might  do.  He  added  that  Hal  should 
hate  a  number  of  men  stay  with  him  that  night,  so  as  to 
have  witnesses  if  the  company  tried  to  "  pull  off  any- 
thing." "And  be  careful  of  the  new  men,"  he  added; 
"  one  or  two  of  them  are  stife  to  be  spies." 

Hal  and  Mike  discussed  their  programme  for  the  sec- 
ond night.  Neither  of  them  were  keen  for  sleeping  out 
again  —  the  old  Slovak  because  of  his  bones,  and  Hal  be- 
cause he  saw  there  were  now  several  spies  following  them 
about.  At  Reminitsky's,  he  spoke  to  some  of  those  who 
had  offered  their  support,  and  asked  them  if  they  would 
be  willing  to  spend  the  night  with  him  in  Edstrom's  cabin. 
Not  one  shrank  from  this  test  of  sincerity;  they  all 
got  their  blankets,  and  repaired  to  the  place,  where  Hal 
lighted  the  lamp  and  held  an  impromptu  check-weighman 
meeting  —  and  incidentally  entertained  himself  with  a 
spy-hunt ! 

One  of  the  new-comers  was  a  Pole  named  Wojecicowski ; 
this,  on  top  of  Zamierowski,  caused  Hal  to  give  up  all 
effort  to  call  the  Poles  by  their  names.  <f  Woji  "  was  an 
earnest  little  man,  with  a  pathetic,  tired  face.  He  ex- 
plained Ms  presence  by  the  statement  that  he  was  sick  of 
being  robbed;  he  would  pay  his  share  for  a  check-weigh- 
man, and  if  they  fired  him,  all  right,  he  would  move'  on, 
and  to  hell  with  them.  After  which  declaration  he  rolled 
up  in  a  blanket  and  went  to  snoring  on  the  floor  of  the 
cabin.  That  did  not  seem  to  be  exactly  the  conduct  of  a 
spy. 

,  Another  was  an  Italian,  named  Farenzena ;  a  dark- 
browed  and  sinister-looking  fellow,  who  might  have  served ; 
as  a  villain  in  any  melodrama.  He  sat  against  the  wall 
and  talked  in  guttural  tones,  and  Hal  regarded  him  with 
deep  suspicion.  It  Was  not  easy  to  understand  his  Eng- 
lish, but  finally  Hal  managed  to  make  out  the  story  he  was 


136  KING  COAL 

tolling  — that  he-was  in  love  with  a."  fanciulla,"  and  that 
the  "  fane  in  lla  "  was  playing  with,  him.  lie  had  about 
made  up  his  mind  that  she  was  a  coquette,  and  not \  worth 
bothering  with,  so  he  did  not  care  any  curses  if  they  sent 
him  down  the  canyon.  "  Don't  tight  for  faneiulla;,  .light 
for  check-wjeiglim.au ! ."  he  concluded,  with  a  growl.  ' 

Another  volunteer  was  a  Greek  labourer,  a  talkati-vc 
young  chap  who  had  sat  witixHal  at  lunch-time,  and  had 
given  his  name  as  Apostolikas.  He  entered  into' fluent 
conversation  with  Hal,  explaining  how  much  interested  he 
was  in  the  check-weighinan  plan;  he  wanted  to, know  just 
what  they  were  going  to  do,  what  chance  of  success  they 
thought  they  had,  who  had  started  the  movement  and  who 
was'in  it.  Hal's  replies  took  the  form,  of  little  sermons  on 
working-class  solidarity.  Each  time  the  man  would  start 
to  u  pump  "  him,  Hal  would  explain  the  importance  of 
the  present  issue  to  the  miners,,  how  they  must  stand  by 
one  "another --and niaket  sacrifices  for  the  good  of  all.-  After 
he  had"  talked  abstract  theories  for  half  an  hour,,  Apos- 
tolikas gave  up  and  moved  on  to  Mike  Sikpria;  who,  hav- 
ing been  given  a  ,wink  by  Hal,  talked  about; "  scabs,77,  and 
the  dreadful  things  that  honest  .workingmon'  would  do  to 
them.  When  finally  the  Greek  grew  tired. again,  and.  lay 
down  on  the  floor,  Hal  moved  over  to  Old  Mike  and  whis- 
pered that  the  first  name  of  Apostolikas  must  -be  Judas! 


§14.  Old  Mike  went  to  sleep  quickly;  but  Hal  had 
not  worked  for  several  days,  and  had  exciting  thoughts  to 
keep  him  awake.  He  had  been  lying  quiet  for  a  couple 
of -hours,  when  he  became  aware  that  some  one  was  moving 
in  the  room.  There  was  a  lamp  burning -dimly,  and 
through  half-closed  eyes  he  made  put  one  of  the  men. lift-, 
ing,  himself;  to  a  sitting  position.  At  first  he  could  not  be 
sure  which  one  it  was,  but  finally  he  recognised  the  Greek. 

Hal  lay  motionless,  and  after  a  minute  or  so  he  stole- 


THE  SERFS  -OF  KING  COAL  137 

Another' look  and  saw  the'inan  cl-ouching  and  listen  ing,  his 
hands  still  on  the  floor*  Through  half  opened  eye-lids 
Mai  continued  to  steal  glimpses^  -while'  the-  other  rose  and 
tiptoed  towards  him,  stepping  carefully  over  the  sleeping 
forms. 

Hal  did  his  best  to  simulate  the  breathing  of  sleep:  no 
easy  matter,  with  the  man  stooping  over  him,  and  a  knife- 
thrust  as  one  of  the  possibilities  of  the -situation.  He  took 
•the  chance,  however;  and  after  what  seemed'  an  age,  he  felt 
the  man's  fingers  lightly  touch'  his  side.  They  moved 
down  to  his  coat-pocket. 

"  Going  to  search  me!  "  thought -Hal;  and  waited,  ex- 
pecting the  hand  to  travel  to  other  pockets.  But -after 
what  seemed  an  interminable  period,  he1  realised -that  Apos- 
tolikas  had  risen  again,  and  was  stepping  back  to  liis  .'place. 
In  a  minute  more  he  had  lain  down,-  and  all  was  still  in  the 
cabin. 

Haiyiiand  moved  to  the  pocket,  and  his  fingers  slid  in- 
side.- They  touched  'something)  which  he  recognised  in- 
'stantly  as  a  roll  of  bills. 

"  I  see  t"-  thought  he,  -  "  A  .  frame-up!  "  And  he 
•"'laughed  to  himself,  his  mind  going  back  to  early  boyhood 
- — to  a  dilapidated  trunk 'in  the  attic  of  his  home,  con- 
taining story-books  that  his  father  had  owned.  He  could 
see  them  now,  with  their  worn  brown  covers  and  crude 
pictures:  "  The  Luck  '  and  Pluck &e>ries:,"  by- Horatio 
Alger;  "Live  or  Die,"  "Rough. and'  Heady,"  etc.  HOY/ 
'he  had  thrilled  over- the  story  of  the  country-boy  who  comes 
to  the  city,  and  meets  the  villain5  who  robs  his .  employer's 
cash-drawer  and  drops  the  key  of  it  into  the  hero's  pocket ! 
Evidently  some  one  connected  with  die-General'  Fuel  'Com- 
pany hadi-ead  Horatio •  Alger-'! 


Hal  realised  that  he  could  not  be ;  too  'quick  about  get- 
ting those  bills  out  of  his  pocket.  He  thought  of  return- 
ing them  .to  "  Judas,"  but  decided  that  he  would  save1  them 
for  Edstrom,  who  was  likely  to  need  money  before  long. 


138  KING  COAL 

He  gave  the  Greek  half  an  hour  to  go  to  sleep,  then  with 
his  pocket-knife  he  gently  picked  out  a  hole  in. the  cinders 
of  the  floor  and  buried  the  money  as  best  he  could.  After 
which  he  wormed  his  way  to  another  place,  and  lay  think- 
ing. 

§  15.  Would  they  wait  until  morning,  or  would  they 
come  soon?  He  was  inclined  to  the  latter  guess,  so  he 
was  only  slightly  startled  when,  an  hour  or  two  later,  he 
heard  the  knob  of  the  cabin-door  turned.  A  moment  later 
came  a -crash  and  the  door  was  burst  open,  with  the  shoul- 
der of  a  heavy  man  behind  it. 

The  room  was  in  confusion  in  a  second.  Men  sprang 
"to  their  feet,  crying  out;  others  sat  up  bewildered,  still 
half  asleep.  The  room  was  bright  from  an  electric  torch 
in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  invaders.  "  There's  the  fel- 
low !  "  cried  a  voice,  which  Hal  instantly  recognised  as 
belonging  to  Jeff  Cotton,  the  camp-marshal.  "  Stick  'em 
up,  there!  You,  Joe  Smith!  "  Hal  did  not  wait  to  see 
the  glint  of  the  marshal's  revolver. 

There  followed  a  silence.  As  this  drama  was  being 
staged  for  the  benefit  of  the  other  men,  it  was  necessary  to 
give  them  time  to  get  thoroughly  awake,  and  to  get  .their 
eyes  used  to  the  light.  Meantime  Hal  stood,  his  hands 
in  the  air.  Behind  the  torch  he,  could  make  out  the  faces 
of  the  marshal,  Bud  Adams,  Alec  Stone,  Jake  Predovich, 
and  two  or  three  others. 

"  Now,  men,"  said  Cotton,  at  last,  "  you  are  some  of 
the  fellows  that  want  a  clieck-weighman.     And  this  is  the 
man  you  chose.     Is  that  right  ?  " 
.  There  was  no  answer. 

"  I'm  going  to  show  you  the  kind  of  fellow  he  is.  He 
came  to  Mr.  Stone  here  and  offered  to  sell  you  out." 

"It's  a  lie,  men,"  said  Hal,  quietly. 

"  He  took  some  money  from  Mr,  :Stone  to  sell  you  out !  " 
insisted  the  marshal. 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  139 

"It's  -a  lie,"  said  Hal,  again. 

"  He's  got  that  money  now !  "  cried  the  other. 

And  Hal  cried,  in  turn,,  "They  are  trying -to  frame 
something  on  me,  boys!  Don't  let  them  fool  you!  " 

"  Shut  up/'  commanded  the  marshal ;  then,  to  the  men, 
"  I'll  show  you.  I  think  he's  got  that  money  on  him  now. 
Jake,  search  him." 

The  store-clerk  advanced. 

"  Watch  out,  boys !  "  exclaimed  Hal.  "  They  will  put 
something  in  my  pockets."  And  then.lto  Old  Mike',  "who 
had  parted  angrily  forward,  "  It's  all- -right,  Mike!  Let 
them  alone !  " 

"  Jake,  take  off  your  coat,"  ordered  Cotton.  "Roll  up 
•your  sleeves.  Show  your  hands." 

It  was  for  all  the  world -like  the  performance  of  a 
prestidigitator.  The  little  Jew  took  off  his  coal;  and  rolled 
up  his  sleeves  above  his  elbows.  He  exhibited  his  hands 
to  the  audience,  turning  them  this  !way  and  that ;  then, 
keep  wig  them  out  inifront  of  him,  he  came  slowly  towards 
Hal,  like  a  hypnotist  about  to  put  him  to  sleep. 

"  Watch  him  !"  said  Cotton.  "  He's  got  that  money 
on  him,  I  know." 

"  Look  sharp!"  cried  Hal.  "If  it  isn't  there,  they'll 
put  it  there." 

"  Keep  your  hands  up,  young  fellow,"  commanded  the 
marshal.  "Keep  back  from  him  there!"  This  'last  to 
Mike  Sikoria  and  the  other  spectators,  who  were  pressing 
nearer,  peering  over  one  another's  shoulders. 

It  was  all  very  serious  at  the  time,  but  afterwards,  when 
Hal  recalled  the  scene,  he  laughed  over  the.  grotesque  figure 
of  Predovich  searching  his  pockets  while  keeping  as  far 
away  from  him  as  possible,  so  that  everyone  might  know- 
that  the  money  had  actually  come  out  of  HaJ:'s  pocket. 
The  searcher  put  his  hands  first  in  the  inside  packets,  then 
in  the  pockets  of-Hal's  shirt.  Time  was  needed  to  build 
up  this  climax! 


140  KING  COAL 

"Turn  around,"  commanded  Cotton;, and  Hal  turned, 
and  the  Jew  went  through  his  trouser-pockets.  He  took 
out  in  turn  Hal's  watch,  his  comb  and  mirror,  his  hand- 
kerchief;  Baiter  examining  them  and  holding  them  up,  ,he 
dropped  them  onto  the  floor.  There  was  a  breathless  hush 
•when  he  came  to  Hal's  purse,  and  proceeded  to  open  it. 
Thanks  to  the  greed  of  the  company,  there  was  nothing  in 
the  purse  but  some  small  change.  Predovich  closed  it  and 
dropped  it  to  the  floor. 

"  Wait  now!  He's  not  through!  "  cried  the  master  of 
cei-emoni.es,  "  He's  got  that  money  somewhere,  boys! 
Did  you  look  in  his  side-pockets,  Jake  ?  " 

"  Isrot  yet,"  said  Jake. 

"  Look  sharp !  "  cried  the  marshal ;  and  every  one  craned 
'forward  eagerly,  while  Predovich  stooped  down  on  one 
knee,  and  put  his  hand  into  one  coat  pocket  and  then  into 
the- other. 

He  took  his.  hand  out  again,  and  the  look  of  dismay 
upon  his  face  was  so  obvious  that  Hal  could  hardly  keep 
from  laughing.  "  It  ain't  dere!  "  he  declared. 

"What?  "  cried  Cotton,  and  they  stared  at  each  other. 
"  By  God,  he's  got  rid  of  it !  " 

"  There's  no  money  on  me,  boys !  "  proclaimed  Hal. 
"  It's  a  job  they  are  trying  to  put  over  on  us." 

"  He's  hid  -"it  1"  shouted  the  marshal.  "Find  it, 
Jake!  " 

Then  Predovich. began  to  search  again,  swiftly,  and  with 
less  circumstance.  He  was  not  thinking  so  much  about 
the  spectators  now,  as  about  all  that  good  money  gone  for 
nothing!  He  made  Hal  take  off  his  coat,  and  ripped  -open 
the  lining;  he  unbuttoned  the  trousers  and  felt  inside;  he 
thrust  his  fingers  down  inside.  Hal's' shoes. 

But  there  was  no  money,  and  the  searchers  were  at  a 
standstill.  "  He  took  twenty-five  dollars  from  Mr.  Stone 
to  sell  you  out !  "  declared  the  marshal.  "  He's  managed 
to  get  rid  of  it  somehow." 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  141 

"Boys//  cried 'Hal,  "they  sent  a  spy  in  here,  and  told 
him  to  put  money  on  me."  He  was  looking -at  Aposto- 
likas  as  he  spoke;  he  saw  the  man  start  andishrink  back. 

"That's  him!  He's  a  scab!  "  cried  Old  Mike.  "  He's 
got  the  money  on  him,  I  bet !  "  And  he  made  a  move  to- 
wards the  Greek. 

So  the  camp-marshal  realised  suddenly  that  it  was  time 
to  ring  down  the  curtain  on  this  drama.  "  That's  enough 
of  this  foolishness/'  he  declared.  "Bring  that  fellow 
along  here!  "  And  in  a  flash  a. couple  of  the- party  had 
seized  Hal's  wrists,  and  a  third  had  grabbed  him i  by  the 
collar  of  his. shirt.  Before  the  miners  had  time  to  realise 
what  was  happening,  they  had  rushed  their  prisoner  out 
of  the  cabin. 

The  quarter  of  an  hour  which  followed  was  an -uncom- 
fortable one  for  the  would-be  check-weighman.  Outside, 
in  the  darkness,  the  campKmairshal  was  free  to  give  vent 
to  his  ".-rage,  and  so  was  Alec  Stone.  They  poured,  out 
curses  upon  him,  and  kicked  him  and  cuffed  him  as  they 
went  along.  One  of  the  men  who  held  his  wrists  twisted 
his  arm, ;  until  he  cried  out  with  pain ;  then  they  cursed 
him  harder,  and  bade  him  hold  his  mouth.  Down  the 
dark  and  silent-  street  they  went  swiftly,  and  into:  the 
camp-marshal's.',  office,  and  upstairs  to  the  room  which 
served  as  the  North  Valley  jail.  Hal  was  glad  enough 
when  they  left  him -here,  slamming  the  iron  door  behind 
them. 


16.  It  had  been  a  crude  and  stupid  plot,  yet  Hal 
realised  that  it  was  adapted  to  the  intelligence  of  the  men 
for  whom  it  was  intended.  But  for  the  accident  that  he 
had  stayed  awake,  they  would  have  found  the  money  on 
him,  and  next  morning  the  whole  camp  would  have,  heard 
that  ho  had  sold  out.  Of  course  his  immediate  friends,  the 
members  of  th'e  committee^  would  not  have  believed  it ;  but- 


142  KING  .COAL 

the  mass  of  the  workers  would  have  believed  it>  and  so 
the  purpose  of  Tom  Olson's  visit  to  North  Valley  would 
have  been  balked.  Throughout  the  experiences  which 
were  to  come  to  him,  Hal  retained  his  vivid  impression  of 
that  adventure;  it  served  to  him  as  a  symbol  of  many 
things.  Just  as  the  bosses  had  tried  to  bedevil  him,  to 
destroy  his  influence  with  his  followers,  so  later  on  he 
saw  them  trying  to  bedevil  the  labour-movement,  to  con- 
fuse the  intelligence  of  .  • the  Kvhole  country. 
?  Now  Hai  was  in  jail.  He  went  to  the  window  arid 
tried  the  bars  —  but  found  that  they  had  been  made  for 
such  trials.  Then  he  groped  his  way  about  in  the  dark- 
ness, examining  his  prison,  Which  proved  to  be  a  steel  cage 
built  inside  the  walls  of  an  ordinary  room.  In  one*  corner 
was  a  :beao!eh,  and  in  another  corner  another  bench,  some- 
what broader,  with  a  mattress  upon  it.  Hal  had  read  a 
little  about  jails — -enough  to  cause  him  to  avoid  this  mat- 
tress.: -He  sat  upion  the  bare  bench,  and  began  to  think. 

It  is  a  fact  that  there  is  a  peculiar  psychology  inci- 
dental to  being  in  jail;  just  as  there  is  a  peculiar  psyr 
chology  incidental  to  straining  your  back  and  breaking 
your  hands  loading  coal-cars  in  a  five  foot  vein;  and  an- 
other, and  quite  different  psychology,  produced  by  living 
at  ease  off  the  labours  of  coal-miners.  In  a  jail,  you  have 
first  of  all  the  sense  of  being  an  animal ;  the  animal  side-, 
of  your  being  is  emphasised,  the  animal  passions  of  hatred 
and  fear  are  called  into  prominence,  and  if  you  are  to 
escape  being  dominated  by  them,  it  can  only  be  by  intense 
and  concentrated  effort  of  the  mind.  So,  if  you  are  a 
thinking  man,  you  do  a  great  deal  of  thinking  in  a  jail; 
the  days  are  long,  and  the  nights  still  longer  —  you  have' 
time  for  all  the  thoughts  you  can  have. 

The  bench  was  hard,  and  seemed  to  grow  harder.  There' 
was  no  position  in  which  it  could  be  made  to  grow  soft.: 
Hal  got  up  and  paced'  hbout,  then  he  lay' 'down  for  a  while, 
then' got  up  and  walked  again; 'and'  all  "the  while  he 


THE  SERFS -OF  KING  COAL  143 

thought,  and  all  the  while  the  jail-psychology  was  being 
impressed 'Upon  his  mind. 

First,  he  thought  about  his  immediate  problem.  What 
were  they  going  to  do  to  him  ?  The  obvious  thing  would 
be  to  put  him  out  of  camp,  and  so  be  done  with  him;  but 
would  they  rest  content  with  that,  in  their  irritation  at  the 
trick  he  had  played?  Hal  had  heard  vaguely  of  that 
native  American  institution,  the  "  third  degree,"  but  had 
never  had  occasion  to  think  of  it  as  a  possibility  in  his  own 
life.  What  a  difference  it  made,  to  think  of  it  in  that' 
way ! 

Hal  had  told  Tom  Olson  that  he  would  not  pledge  him- 
self to  organise  a  union,  but  that  he  would  pledge  himself 
to  get  a  check-weighmari ;  and  Olson  had  laughed,  and 
seemed  quite  content  — -  apparently  assuming  that  it  would 
come  to  the  same  thing.  And  now,  it  rather  seemed  tha't 
Olson  had  known  what  he  was  talking  about.  For  Hal 
found  his  thoughts  no  longer  troubled  with  fears  of  labour 
union  domination  and  walking  delegate  tyranny ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  became  suddenly  willing  for  the  people  of 
North  Valley  to  have  a  union,*and  to  be  as  tyrannical  as 
they  knew  how!  And  in  this  change,  though  Hal  had  no 
idea  of  it,  he  was  repeating  an  experience  common  among 
reformers ;  many  of  whom  begin  as  mild  and  benevolent 
advocates  of  some  obvious  bit  of  justice,  and  under  the 
operation  of  the  jail-psychology  are  made  into  blazing 
a,nd  determined  revolutionists.  "  Eternal  spirit  of  the 
cjiainless  mind,"  says  Byron.  "  Greatest  in  dungeons 
Liberty  tliou  art !  " 

The  poet  goes  on  to  add  that  "  When  thy  sons  to  fet- 
ters are  confined —  '  then  " ;  Freedom's  fame  finds  wings 
on  every  wind."  And  just  as  it  was  in  Chillon,  so  it 
seemed  to  be  in  North  Valley.-  T)awrn  came,  and  Hal  stood 
at  the  window  of  his  cell,  and  heard  the  whistle  blow  and 
saw  the  workers  going  to  their _ tasks,  the  toil-bent,  pallid 
faced  creatures  of  the  underworld,  like  a  file  of  baboons 


144  KING  COAL 

> 

in  the  half-light.  He  \Vaved  his  hand  to  them,  and  they: 
stopped  and  stared,  and  then  waved  back;  he  realised  that 
every  one  of  those  men  must  be  thinking  about  his  im- 
prisonment, and  the  reason  for  it  • — and  so  the  jail-psy/r 
chology  was  being  communicated  to  them.  If  any  of  thrift 
cherished  distrust  of  unions,  or  doubt  of  the  need  of  or- 
ganisation 'in  North  Valley— -that  distrust  and  that1  doubt 
were  being  dissipated! 

—  There  was  only  one  thing  discouraging  about  the 
matter,  as  Hal  thought  it  oyer,  Why  should  the:  bosses. 
have  left  him  here  in  plain  sight,  when  they  might  so 
easily  have  put  him  into  an  automobile,  and  \yhisked  Mm 
down  to  Pedro  before  daylight  ?  Was-  it  a  sign  of  the 
contempt  they  felt  for  their  slaves  ?  Did  they  count  upon 
tliie  sight  of  the  prisoner  in  the, window  to  produce  fear 
instead  of  resentment  ?-..  And  might  it  not  be  that  they 
Understood  their  workers  better  than  the  would-be  check- 
weighman  ?  He  recalled  Mary  Burke's  pessimism  about; 
them,  and  anxiety  gnawed -at  his  soul;. and — .-such  is  the: 
operation  of  the  jail-ps.ychology  —  he  fought  against  this> 
anxiety.,  He  hated  j  tire,  company  for  its  cynicism,  he 
clenched  his  hands  and  set  his  teeth,  desirhig  to  teach  the 
bosses  a  lesson,  to  prove -to  them  that  their  workers  were 
not  slaves, : but  men! 


§  17.  Toward  the  middle  of  the  morning,  Hal  heard, 
footsteps  in  trie  corridor  outside,  and  a -man  whom  he  didr 
not- know  opened  the  barred  .door  and  set  down  a  pitcher 
of  water  and  a  tin  plate  with  a  liunk  of  bread  on  it.  Wheiij 
he  started  to  leave,  Hal  spoke:  "  Just  a  minute,  please."  ( 
,  The  other  frowned  at  him. 

"  Can  you  give  me  any  idea  how  long  I  am  to  stay  in 
here?7'  .     ] 

"  I  cannot,"  said  the  man.         • , 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  145 

•"If  I'm  to  be  locked  up,"  said  Hal,  "  I've1  certainly  a 
right  to  know  what  is  the  charge  against  me." 

"  Go  to  blazes !  "  said  the  other,  and  slammed  the  door 
and  went  down  the  corridor. 

Hal  went  to  the  window  again,  and  passed  the  time 
watching  the  people  who  went  by.  Groups  of  ragged 
children  gathered,  looking  up  at  him,  grinning yand  making 
•signs  — L-  until  some  one  appeared  below  'and  ordered  them 
away. 

As  time  passed,  Hal  becamd  hungry.  The  taste  of 
•bread,  eaten  alone,  becomes  speedily  monotonous,  and  the 
'taste  of  water  does  not  relieve  it ;  nevertheless,  Hal 
munched  the  bread,  and  drank  the  water,  and  wished  for 
more. 

The  da^  dragged  by;  and  late  in  the  afternoon  the 
keeper  carne  again,  with  another  hunk  of  breuxl  and  an- 
other pitcher  of  water.  "  Listen  a;  moment,"  said  Hal,  as 
the  man  was  turning  away. 

•"  I  got  nothin'  to  say  to  you,"  said  the  other. 

"I  have  something  to  say  to  you,"  pleaded  Hal.  "  I 
'have  read  in  a  book  —  I  forget  where,  but  it  was  written 
by  some  doctor  —  that  white  bread  does  not  contain  the 
elements  necessary  to  the  sustaining  of  the  human  body." 

"  Go  on  !  "  growled  the  jailer.     "  What  yer  givin'  us  *  " 

"I  mean,"  explained  Hal,  "'.a 'diet  of  bread  and  water 
is  not  what  I'd  choose  to  live  on." 

"  What  would  yer  choose  ?  " 

The  tone  suggested  that  the  question  was-  a  rhetorical 
6ne;  but  Hal  took  it  in  good 'faith.  "'If 'I  could  have 
some  beefsteak  and  mashed  potatoes  — 

The  door  of  the  cell  closed  '.with  a  slam  whose  echoes 
drowned  out  the  rest  of  that  imaginary  menu.  And  so 
once  more  Hal  sat  on  the  hard  bench,  and  munched  his 
hunk  of  bread,  and  thought  jail-thoughts. 

When  the  quitting-whistle  blew,  he  stood  •  at  the  -win- 
•  dow,  and  saw  the  groups  of  his  friends  once  again,  and  got 


UC  KIXG  COAL 

their  covert  signals  of  encouragement.  Then  darkness 
fell,  and  another  long  vigil  began. 

It  was  late;  Hal  had  no  means  of  telling  how  late,  save 
that  all  the  lights  in  the  camps  were  out.  He  made 
up  his  mind  that  he  was  in  for  the  night,  and  had  settled 
himself  on  the  floor  with  his  arm  for  a  pillow,  and  had 
dozed  oft  to  sleep,  when  suddenly  there  came  a  scraping 
sound  against  the  bars  of  his  window.  He  sat  up  with  a 
start,  and  heard  another  sound,  unmistakably  the  rustling 
of  paper.  He  sprang  to  the  window,  where  by  the  faint 
light  of  the  stars  lie  could  make  out  something  dangling. 
He  caught  at  it;  it  seemed  to  be  an  ordinary  note-book, 
such  as  stenographers  use,  tied  on  the  end  of  a  pole. 

Hal  looked  out,  but  could  see  no  one.  He  caught  hold 
of  the  pole  and  jerked  it,  as  a  signal ;  arid  then  he  heard 
a  whisper  /which  he  recognised  instantly .  as  Rovetta's. 
"  Hello !  Listen.  Write  your  name  hundred  times  in 
book.  I  come  back.  Understand  ?  " 

The  command  was  a  sufficiently  puzzling  one,  but  Hal 
realised  that  this  was  no  time  for  explanations.  He  an- 
swered, "  I7es,"  and  broke  the  string  and  took  the  note- 
book. There  was  a  pencil  attached,  with  a  piece  of  cloth 
wrapped  round  the  point  to  protect  it. 

The  pole  was  withdrawn,  and  Hal  sat  on  the  bench,  and 
began  to  write,  three  or  four  times  on  a  page,  "  Joe  Smith 
—  Joe  Smith  —  Joe  Smith."  It  is  not  hard  to  write 
"  Joe  Smith,"  even  in  darkness,  and  so,  while  his  hand 
moved,  Hal's  mind  was  busy  with  this  mystery.  It,  was 
fairly  to  be  assumed  that  his  committee  did  not  want  his, 
autograph  to  distribute  for  a  souvenir;  they  must  want  it 
for  some  vital  purpose,  to  meet  some  new  move  of  the 
bosses.  The  answer .  to  this  riddle  was  not  slow ;  in  com- 
i.ng:  having  failed  in  their  effort  to  find  money  on  him,, 
the  bosses  had  framed  up  a  letter,  which  they  were  exhibit- 
ing as  having  been  written  by  the  would-be  check-weigh- 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  147 

linan.-  ,  His  friends  wanted  his  signature  to  disprove  the 
authenticity  of  the  letter.  . 

Hal  wrote  a  free  and  rapid  hand,  with  a  generous  flour- 
ish ;  he  felt  sure  it  would  be  different  from  Alec  Stone's 
idea  of  a  working-hoy's  scrawl.  His  pencil  flew  on  and 
011  — "  Joe  Smith  —  Joe  Smith  — "  page  after,  page,  until 
.die.  was  sure  that  he  had  written  a  signature  for  every 
.miner  in  the  camp,  and  was  beginning  on  the  huddies. 
Then,  hearing  a  whistle  outside,  he  stopped  and  sprang  to 
the  window. 

"  Throw  it!  "  whispered  a  voice;  and  Hal  threw  it. 
He  saw  a  form  vanish  up  the  street,  after  which  all  was 
quiet  again.  He  listened  for  a  while,  to  see  if  he  had 
roused  his  jailer;  then  he  lay  down  on  the  bench  —  and 
•thought  more  jail-thoughts! 

.  §  18.  Morning  came,  and  the  mine- whistle  blew,  and 
Hal  stood,  at  the  window  again.  This  time  he  noticed  :that 
some  of  the  miners  on  their  way  to  work  had  little  strips 
of  paper  in  their  hands,  which  strips  they  waved  con- 
spicuously for  him  to  see.  Old  Mike  Sikoria  came  along, 
having  a  whole  bunch  of  strips  in  his  hands,  which  heiwas 
distributing  to  all  who  would  take  them..  Doubtless  he 
had  been  warned  to  proceed  secretly,  but  the  excitement  of 
the  occasion  had  been  too  much  for  him  ;  he  capered  about 
-like  a  young  spring  lamb,  and  waved  the  strips  at  Hal  in 
plain  sight  of  all  the  world. 

Such  indiscreet  behaviour  met  the  return -it.  invited,. 
As  Hal  watched,  he  saw  a  stocky  figure  come  striding 
round  the  corner,  confronting  the  startled  old  Slovak. 
It  was  Bud  Adams,  the  mine-guard,  and  his  hard  fists  were 
clenched,  and  his  whole  body  gathered  for  a  blow.  Mike 
saw  him,  and  was  as  if  suddenly  struck  with  paralysisj 
his  toil-bent  shoulders  sunk  together,  and  his  hands  fell  to 


KING  COAL 

his  sides— his  fingers  opening,  and  Iris'  precious  -strips  :of 
paper  fluttering  to  the  ground.  Mike  stared  at  Bu'd  like  a 
fascinated  rabbit;  making  no  move  to  protect  himself. 

Hal  clutched  the  bars,  with  an  impulse  to  leap  to  his 
friend's, defence.  But  the  expected  blow  did  not  fall ;  the 
mine-guard  contented  himself  with  glaring  ferociously, 
and  giving  an  order  to  the  old  tmaiu  Mike  stooped  and 
picked  up  the  papers  —  the  process  taking  him  some  time, 
fas  he  was  unable  or  unwilling  to  take  his  eyes  •  off  the 
mine-guard's.  When  he  got  them  all  in  his  hands,  there 
came  another  order,  and  he. gave  them  up  to  Bud.  After 
which  he  fell  back, ;a  step,  and  the  other  followed,  his  fists 
still  clenched,  and  a  blow,  seeming  about  to  leap  from  him 
•every  moment.  Mike  receded  another  step,  and  then  an- 
other —  so  the  two  of  them  backed  out  of  sight  around  the 
corner.  Men  who  had  been  witnesses  of  this  little  drama 
turned  and  slunk  off,  and  Hal  was  given  no  clue  as  to  its 
outcome. 

A  couple  of  hours  afterwards,  Hal's  jailer  came  up,  this 
time  without  any  bread  and  water.  He  opened  the  door 
and  commanded  the  prisoner  to  "  come  along."  Hal  went 
downstairs,  and  entered  Jeff  Cotton's  office. 

The  camp-marshal  sat  at  his  desk  with  a  cigar  between 
his  teeth.  He  was  writing,  arid  he  went  011  writing  until 
the  jailer  had  gone  out  and  closed  the  door.  Then  he 
turned  his  revolving  chair  and  crossed  his  legs,  leaning 
back  and  looking  at  the  young  miner  in  his  dirty  blue 
overalls,  his  hair  tousled  and  his  face  pale  from  his  period 
of  confinement.  The  camp-marshal's  aristocratic  face 
wore  a  smile.  "Well,  young  fellow,"  said  he,  -you've 
been  having  a  lot  of  fun  in  this  camp." 

"  Pretty  fair,  thank  you,"  answered  Hal. 

"Beat  us  out  all  along  the  line,  hey?"  Then,  after 
•a  pause.  "  Now,  tell  me,  what  do  you  think  you're  going  to 
'get  out  of  it  ?  " 

"  That's  what  Alec  Stone  asked  me,"  replied  Hal.     "  I 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  149 

t 

don't  think  it  would  do  much  good  to  explain.     1  doubt  if 
you  believe  in  altruism  any  more  than  Stone  does." 

The  camp-marshal  took  his  cigar  from  his  mouth,  a>nd 
flicked  oil'  the  ashes.  His  face  became  serious,  and  there 
was  a  silence,  while  .he  studied  Hal.  "  You  a  union  or- 
ganiser \  "  he  asked,  at  last. 

"  No,"  said  Hal. 

"  You're  an  educated  man ;  you're  no  labourer,  that  I 
know.  Who's  paying  you  ?  " 

"  There  you  are !     You  don't  believe  in  altruism." 

The  other  blew  a  ring  of  smoke  across  the  room.  "'Just 
want  to  put  the  company  in  the  hole,  hey '(  Some  kind  of 
agitator '{ " 

"  I  am  a  Limner  who  wants  to  be  a  check-weighman." 

"  Socialist  ? " 

"  That  depends  upon  developments  here." 

"  Well,"  said  the  marshal,  "  you're  an  intelligent  chap, 
that  I  can  see.  So  I'll  lay  my  hand  on  the  table  and  you 
can  study  it.  You're  not  going  to  serve  as  eheck-weigh- 
man  in  North  Valley,  nor  any  other  place  that  the  '  G.  F. 
0.'  has  anything  to  do  with.  Nor  are  you  going  to  have 
the  satisfaction  of  putting  the  company  in  a  hole.  We're 
not  even  going  to  beat  you  up  and  make  a  martyr  of  you. 
I  was  tempted  to  do  that  the  other  night,  but  I  changed 
my  mind." 

"  You  might  change  the  bruises  on  my  arm,"  suggested 
Hal,  in. a  pleasant  voice. 

"  We're  going  to  offer  you  the  choice  of  two  things," 
continued  the  marshal,  without  heeding  this  mild  sarcasm, 
"  Either  you  will  sign  a  paper  admitting  that  you  took  the 
twenty-five  dollars  from  Alec  Stone,  in  which  case  we  will 
fire  you  and  call  it  square;  or  else  we  will  prove  that  you" 
took  it,  in  which  case  we  will  send  you  to  the  pen  for  five 
or  ten  years.  Do  you  get  that  ?  " 

Now  when  Hal  had  applied  for  the  job  of  check-weigh- 
man, he  had  been  expecting  to  be  thrown  out  of  the 

11 


150  .-KIlsG  COAL 

t 

and  had  intended  to  go;  "Counting  bis  education  complete. 
But  here,  as  :he.  sa/t  ^uid  gazed  into  the  marshal's  menacing 
ejies,  ho>  decided  suddenly  that  he  did  not  want  to  leave 
North  Valley.-  He  ^wanted  to  stay  and  take  the  measure 
of  this  gigantic  ^buigfir//  the  General  Fuel  Company. 

"  That's  a  serious  threat,  Mra  (Dotion,"  he  remarked; 
"  Do  you  often  do  things  like  that  \  " 
:    **  We'- do  them  when  we.  have . to,"  was  the  reply. 

:c  Well,  it's  a  novel  proposition.  Tell  me  more  about  it. 
What  .  will:  -the  charge  be '{ " 

I'm  not  sure  about  that  ^  we'll  put  it  up  to  our  law- 
yers. Maybe  they'll  £all  it  !Coiaspiraqy,  maybe  blackmail. 
They'll  make  it  whatever  carries  a  long  enough  sentence." 

<f  And  before-!  enter  my  plea,  would  you .imind  letting 
me  see  the  letter  I'm  supposed  to  have  written;" 

"Oh,  you've  heard  about  the  letter,  have  you?"  said 
the  ca-mp-marshal,  lift  ing  .his.  eyebrows  in  mild  surprise. 
He1,  took  from  his  desk  a  sheet  of  paper  and  handed  it  to 
Hal,1  who  read : 

•  "."Dere  mister  Stone,- You; don't  need,  worry  about  the 
check-wayman.  Pay  .me  twenty  five  dollars^  and  I  will  fix 
it  right.  Yours  try,  Joe  Smith." 

Having  taken- in  the  words' of  the  letter,  Hal  examined 
the  paper,  and -perceived  that  his  enemies  had  taken  the 
trouble,  not  merely  to  forge  a  letter  in  his  name,  but 'to 
have  it  photographed,  to  have  a  cut  made  of  the  photo- 
graph, and  to  have  it  printed.  Beyond  doubt  they  had 
distributed  it  broadcast  in  the  camp.  And  all  this 'in  a 
few  hours!  >  'It  was  as  -Olson-  had  said  - —  a  regular  .system 
to  keep  the  men  bedevilled. 

§  19.  Hal  took  a  minute  ;or  so  to  ponder"  the  situatio, 
"Mr.  Cotton,"  he  said,  at  last.  "I  know  how  to. spell 
better  than  that.  Also  my  handwriting  is  a  bit  more 
fluent." 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  151 

There  was  a  trace  of  a  smile  about  the  marshal's  cruel 
lips.  u  I  know/'  he  replied.  "  I've  not  failed  to  com- 
pare them." 

"  You  have  a  good  secret-service  department !  "  said 
Hal. 

u  Before  you  get  through,  young  fellow,  you'll  discover 
that  our  legal  department  is  equally  efficient." 

"  Well,"  said  Hal,  "  they'll  need  to  be ;  for  I  don't  see 
how  you  can  get  round  the  fact  that  I'm  a  check-weighman, 
chosen  according  to  the  law,  and  with  a  group  of  the  men 
behind  me." 

"  If  that's  what  you're  counting  on,"  retorted  Cotton, 
"  you  may  as  well  forget  it.  You've  got  no  group  any 
more." 

"  Oh  !     Yrou've  got  rid  of  them  ?  " 

"  We've  got  rid  of  the  ring-leaders." 

"  Of  whom?" 

"  That  old  billy-goat,  Sikoria,  for  one." 

"  You've  shipped  him?  " 
^    "We  have," 

"  I  saw  the  beginning  of  that.  Where  have  you  sent 
him?" 

"  That,"  smiled  the  marshal,  "  is  a  job  for  your  secret- 
service  department .!  " 

aAnd  who  else?" 

"  John  Edstrom  has  gone  down  to  bury  his  wife.  It's 
not  the  first  time  that  dough-faced  old  preacher  has  made 
trouble  for  us,  but  it'll  be  the  last.  You'll  find  him  in 
Pedro  - —  probably  in  the  poor-house." 

"  No,"  responded  Hal,  quickly  —  and  there  came  just  a 
touch  of  elation  in  his  voice  — "  he  won't  have  to  go  to  the 
poor-house  at  once.  You  see,  I've  just  sent  twenty-five 
dollars  to  him." 

The  camp-marshal  frowned.  "  Really !  "  Then,  after 
a  pause,  "  You  did  have  that  money  on  you!  I  thought 
that  lousy  Greek  had, got  away  with  it!  " 


152  KING  GOAL 

".No.  Your  knave  was  'honest;  But  so  was  I.  I 
knew  Edstrom  had  been  getting  short  weight  for  years,  so 
he  was  the  one  person  with  any  right  to  the  money/' 

This  story  was  untrue,  of  course ;  the  money  was  still 
buried  in  Edstrom's  cabin.  But  Hal  meant  for  the  old 
miner  to  have  it  in  the  end,  and  meantime  he  wanted  to 
throw  Cotton  off  the  track. 

"  A  clever  trick,  young  man  !  "  said  the  marshal.  ,  "  But 
you'll  repent  it  before  you're  through.  It  only  makes  me 
more  determined  to  put  you  where  you  can't  do  us  any 
harm." 

"  You  mean  in  the  pen?"  You  understand,  of  course, 
it  will  mean  a  jury  trial.  You  can  get  a  jury  to  do  what 
you  want  ?  " 

:i  They  tell  me  you've  been  taking  an  interest  in  politics 
in  Pedro  County.  Haven't  you  looked  into  our  jury- 
system  ?  " 

"  No,  I  haven't  got  that  far." 

The  marshal  began  blowing  -rings  of  smoke  again. 
"  Well,  there  are  some  three  hundred  men  on  our  jury-l;  jt, 
and  we  know  them  all.  You'll  find  yourself  facing  a  box 
with  Jake  Predovich  as  foreman,  three  company-clerks, 
two  of  Alf  Raymond's  saloon-keepers,  a  ranchman  with  a 
mortgage  held  by  the  company-bank,  and  five  Mexicans 
who  have  no  idea  what  it's  all  about,  but  would  stick  a 
knife  into  your  back  for  a  drink  of  whiskey.  The  Dis- 
trict Attorney  is  a  politician  who  favours  the  miners  in 
his  speeches,  and  favours  us  in  his  acts;  while  Judge  Den- 
ton,  of  the  district  court,  is  the  law  partner  of  Vagleman, 
our  chief-counsel.  Do  you  get  all  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hal.-  "  I've  heard  of  the  <  Empire  bi 
Raymond  ' ;  I'm  interested  to  see  the  machinery.  You're 
quite  open  about  it !  " 

"Well,"  replied  the r  marshal,  "I  want  you  to  know 
what  you're  up  against.  We  didn't  start  this  fight,  and 
we're  perfectly  willing  to  end  it  without  trouble.  All  we 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  153 

ask  is  that  you. make  amends  for  the  mischief  you've  done 
us." 

"By  ' making  amends,7  you  mean  I'm  to  disgrace  my- 
self -T-, to  tell  the  men  I'm  a  traitor?  "  , 
•••"  Precisely,"  said  the  marshal. 

"I  think  I'll  have  a  seat  while  I  -consider  the  matter," 
said  Hal;  and  he  took  a  chair,  and  stretched  out  his  legs, 
and  made  himself  elaborately  comfortable,.  "  That  bench 
upstaks  is  frightfully  hajrd,"  said  he,  and  smiled  mock- 
ingly upon  the  camp-marshal. 


§  20.  When  this  conversation  was  continued,  it  was 
upon  a  new  and  unexpected  line.  "  Cotton,"  remarked 
the  prisoner,  "I  perceive  that  you  are  a  man  of  educa- 
tion. It  occurs  to  me  that  once  upon  a  time  you  must 
have  been  what  the  world  calls  a  gentleman." 

The  blood  started  into  the  camp-marshal's  face.  "  You 
go  to  hell !  "  said.  he. 

"  I  did  not  intend  to  ask  questions,"  continued  Hal. 
"I  can  well  understand  that  you  mightn't  care  to  answer 
them.  My  point  is  that,  being  an  ex-gentleman,  you  may 
appreciate  certain  aspects  of  this  case  which  would  be 
beyond  the  understanding  of  a  nigger-driver  like  Stone, 
or  an  efficiency  expert  like  Cartwright.  One  gentleman 
can  recognise  another,  even  in  a  miner's  costume.  Isn't 
that  so  ?  " 

Hal  paused,  for  an  answer,  and  the  marshal  gave  him  a 
wary  look.  .  "  I  suppose  so,"  he  said. 

"  Well,  to  begin  with,  one  gentleman  does  not  smoke 
without  inviting  another  to  join. him." 

The  man  gave  another  look.  Btal  thought  he  was  going 
to  consign  him  to  hades  once  more ;  but  instead  he  took  a 
cigar  from  his  vest-pocket  and  held  it  out. 

"  No,  thank  .you,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "T  do  not  smoke. 
But  I  like,  to  be  invited." 


154  KING  COAL 

There  was  a  pause,  while  the  two  men  measured'  each 
other. 

u  Now,  Cotton,"  began  the  prisoner,  "  you  pictured  the 
scene  at  my  trial.  Let  me  carry  on  the  story  for  you. 
You  have  your  case  all  framed  up,  your  hand-picked  jury 
in  the  box,  and  your  hand-picked  judge  on  the  bench,  your 
hand-picked  prosecuting-attorney  putting  through  the  job ; 
you  are  ready  to  send  your  victim  to  prison,  for  an  ex- 
ample to  the  rest  of  your  employes.  But  suppose  that,  at 
the  climax  of  the  proceedings,  you  should  make  the  dis- 
covery that  your  victim  is  a  person  who  cannot  be  sent  to 
prison  '<•  " 

"  Cannot  be  sent  to  prison  ?  "  repeated  the  other.  His 
tone  was  thoughtful.  "  You'll  have  to  explain." 

"  Surely  not  to  a  man  of  your  intelligence !  Don't 
you  know,  Cotton,  there  are  people  who  cannot  be  sent  to 
prison  ?  " 

The  camp-marshal  smoked  his  cigar  for.  a  bit.  "  There 
are  some  in  this  county,"  said  he.  "  But  I  thought  I  knew 
them  all." 

"Well,"  said  Hal,  "has  it  never  occurred  to  you  that 
there  might  be  some  in  this  state?" 

There  followed  a  long  silence.  The  two  men  were  gaz- 
ing into  each  other's  eyes;  and  the  more  they  gazed,  the 
more  plainly  Hal  read  uncertainty  in  the  face  of  the 
marshal. 

''  Think  how  embarrassing  it  would  be!  "  he  continued. 
"  You  have  your  drama  all  staged  —  as  you  did  the  night 
before  last  —  only  on  a  larger  stage,  before  a  more  impor- 
tant audience;  and  at  the  denouement  you  find  that,  in- 
stead of  vindicating  yourself  before  the  workers  in  North 
Valley,  you  have  convicted  yourself  before  the  public  of 
the  state.  You  have  shown  the  whole  community  that  you 
are  law-breakers ;  worse  than  that  —  you  have  shown  thai 
you  are  jack-asses!  " 

This  time  the  camp-marshal  gazed  so  long  that  his  cigar 


THE  SERFS:  OF  .'KING  COAL  156 

went  out.  And  meantime  Hal  Kvas ;  lounging  in  his  chair, 
smiling  at  him  strangely.  It  was  as  if  a  transformation 
was  taking  place  before  the  marshal's  eyes ;  the  miner's 
"jumpers  "  fell  away  from- Hal's  figure,  and  there  was  a 
suit  of  evening-clothes  in  their  place! 

tk  Who  the  devil  are  you .?  "  cried  the  man. 

"Well  -now!  "  laughed  Hal  "  You  boast  of  the  effi- 
ciency of  your  secret  service  department!*  Put  them  at 
work  upon  this  problem.  A  young  man,  age  -twenty-one, 
heigh*  "five  feet;  ten  inches,  weight  one  ^hundred  an-d  fifty- 
two  pounds,  eyesribirfewn,  hair  chestnut, and:  rather  wavy:, 
manner1  genial,  a  favtiiirite  with  the  ladies.T—  at  least -that's 
what  the.  society  notes  say  —  missing  since  early  in -Juno, 
-supposed  to  he  hunting  mountain-goats  in  Mexico.' .  As 
you  know,  Cottony. there's  only  one.  city  in  the  state  that 
has- any  *  society,'  and  in  that  city  there- are  only  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  families  that  count  •  For  a  secret  service  de- 
partment like  that  of  the  '  G.  E.;  GV,  that  .is  reall.V  too 
ca-sy." 

Again  there  was  a  silence,  until  Hal  broke  it.  "  Your 
distress  is  a  tribute  to  your  insight  The  company  is  lucky 
irrthe  fact  that  one  of  its'camp-marskalsrhappe'ns  to  be  an 
ex-gentleman." 

Again  the  other  flushed.  •"  Well,-  by  God!  "  he ; said, 
half  to  himself;  and  "then,;  making  a  last  effort  to  liold'his 
bluff  _  «  You're  kidding  me  !  " 

"  '  Kidding,'  as  you  call-it,  is  one  of  the  favourite 'occu- 
pations of  society,  Cotton.  .  A,  good  part  of  our  intercourse 
consists  of  it  —  at  least  among  the  -younger  set." 

Suddenly  the  marshal  rose*  ";Say,"  h'e"  demanded, 
"would  you 'mind  goi-ng  back  upstairs  for  a  ;fow-  mii>- 
utes  ?  "  . 

Hal  could  not  restrain  his  laughter  at  this.  "  I  should 
mind  it  very  much/'  he  said.  "  I  have  been  on  a  bread 
and  water  diet  for  thirty-six  'hours,  and  I- should  like 
much  to  get  otit  and  have  a  breath  of  fresh  air." 


156  KING  COAL 

"'But,"  said  the  other,  lamely,  "  I've  got  to  send  you  up 
there." 

**  That's  another  matter,"  replied  Hal.  "  If  you  send 
me,  I'll  go,  hut  it's  your  look-out.  You've  kept; -me  here 
without  legal  authority,  with  no  charge  against  me,  and 
without  giving  me  an  opportunity  to  see  counsel.  Un- 
less I'm.  very  much  mistaken,  you.  are  liable  criminally  for 
that,  and  the  company  is  liable  civilly.  That  is  your  own 
affair,  of  course.  I  only  want  to  make  clear  my  position 
—  when  you  ask  me  would  I  mind  stepping  upstairs,  1 
answer  that  I  would  mind  very  much  indeed." 

The  camp-marshal  stood  for  a  bit,  chewing  nervouslv 
on  his  extinct  cigar.  Then  he  went  to  the  door.  "  Hey, 
Gus !  "  he  called.  Hal's  jailer  appeared,  and  Cotton 
whispered  to  him,  and  he  went  away  again.  "  I'm  telling 
him  to  get  you  some  food,  and  you  can.  sit  and  eat  it  here. 
Will  that  suit  you  better  ?  " 

"It  depends,"  said  Hal,  making  the  most  of  the  situa- 
tion. "  Are  you  inviting  me  as  your  prisoner,  or  as  your 
guest  ?  " 

"  Oh,  come  off !  "  said  the  other. 

"  But  I  have  to  know  my  legal  status.  It  will  be  of  im- 
portance to  my  lawyers." 

"  Be  my  guest,"  said  the  camp-marshal. 

"  But  when  a  guest  has  eaten,  he  is  free  to  go  out,  if  he 
wishes  to !  " 

"  I  will  let  you  know  about  that  before  you  get  through." 

"  Well,  be  quick.     I'm  a  rapid  eater." 

"  You'll  promise  you  won't  go  away  before  that?  " 

"If  I  do,"  was  Hal's  laughing  reply,  "  it  will  be  only 
to  my  place  of  business.  You  can  look  for  me  at  the 
tipple,  Cotton !  " 


§  21.     The  marshal  went  out,  and  a  few  moments  later 
the  jailer  came  back,  with  a  meal  which  presented  a  sur- 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  157 

prising  contrast  to  the  ones  he  had  previously  served. 
There  was  a  tray  containing  =  cold  ham,  a  couple  of  soft 
hoiled  eggs,  some  potato  salad,  and  a  cup  of  cott'ee  with 
rolls  and  butter. 

"  Well,  well !  "  said  Hal,  condescendingly.  "  That's 
even  nicer  than  beefsteak  and  rnashed  potatoes !  "  He  sat 
and  watched,  not  offering  to  help,  while  the  other  made 
room  for  the  tray  on  the  table  in  front  of  him.  Then  the 
man  stalked  out,  and  Hal  began  to  eat. 

Before  he  had  finished,  the  camp-marshal  returned.  He 
seated  himself  in  his  revolving  chair/  and  appeared  to  be 
meditative.  Between  bites-,  Hal  would  look  up  and  smile 
at  him. 

"  Cotton,"  said  he,  "you  know  there  is  no  more  certain 
test  of  breeding  than  table-manners.  You  will  observe 
that  I  have  not  tucked  my  napkin  in  my  neck,  as  Alec 
Stone  would  have  done." 

"  I'm  getting  you,"  replied  the  marshal. 

Hal  set  his  knife  and  fork  side  by  side  on  his  plate. 
"  Your  man  has  overlooked  the  finger-bowl,"  he  remarked. 
"  However,  don't  bother.  You  might  ring"  for  him  now, 
and  let  him  take  the  tray." 

The  camp-marshal  used  his,. voice,  for  a  bell,  and  the 
jailer  came.  "  Unfortunately,"  said  Hal,  "  when  your 
people  were  searching  me,  night  before  last,  they  dropped 
my  purse,  so  I  have  no  tip  for  the  waiter." 

The  "  waiter  "  glared  at  Hal  as  if  he  would  like  to  bite 
him ;  but  the  camp-marshal  grinned.  "  Clear  out,  Gus, 
and  shut  the  door,"  said  he. 

Then  Hal  stretched  his  legs  and  made  himself  comfort- 
able again.  "  I  must  say  I  like  being  your  guest  better 
than  being  your  prisoner !  " 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  I've  been  talking  it  over  with  Mr.  Cartwright,"  began 
the  marshal.  "  I've  got  no  way  of  telling  how  much  of 
this  is  bluff  that  you've  been  giving  me,  but  it's  evident 


158  KIN Q  COAL 

enough  that  you're 'no  miner.-  You  may  be  some  new- 
fangled kind  of  agitator,  but  I'm  damned  ;i£  I  ever  saw  an 
agitator  that  had  tea-party  manners.  I  suppose  you've 
been  brought  up  to  money;  but  if  that's  soywhy  you  want 
to  do  ;this  kind: df  thing  is  more  than  I  can  imagine." 

. "  Tell  me.  Cotton,"  said- .Hal,  "did  you  never  hear  of 
ennui?.'' 

"  Yee^"  replied  the  other,  "  but  aren't  you  rather  young 
to  be  troubled  with  that  eomjxlauit?  " 

"  Suppose  I?ve  seen  others  suffer  ing  from, it,  and  wanted 
to. try  a  different  way. of  living  from  theirs?  " 

"  I£  you're  what  you  /say,  'you  ought  to.be  still  in  col- 
lege." 

"  I  go  back  for:  my  senior,  year  thip.  fall." 
."What  college?" 

"You  .doubt  me  still,  I  see!  "  .said  Hal,  and  sfiiiled. 
Then,  unexpectedly,  with  a  spirit  which  only  moonlit 
campuses  and  .privilege  could  beget,  he  chanted: 

"  Old  Iving  Coal  was  a  merry  old  soul, 

Arid  a  merry  old  soul  was  he ; 
He  made  him  a  college,  all  full  of  knowledge -— 

Hurrah  for  you  and  me!  "  ' 

"  What  college  is  that  \ '".  asked  the  marshal. 
And  Hal  sang  again : 

"Oh,  Liza-Aim,  come  out  with  me, 
The  moon  is  a-ahinin'-  in  tlie  monkey-puzzle  tree  !• 
Oh,  Liza-Ann,  I  have  b.egan 
To  sing  you  the  song  of  Harridan!  " 

'"Well,  well!  "  commented ;'the  marshal,  when  the  con- 
cert was  over.  "  Are  there  many  more  like  you  at  Harri- 
gan?" 

"  A  Jittje. group— enough  to  leaven  'the  lump.  ' 
'  ••"  And  this  >is"yoiir'  idea  of  a  vacation  ?  " 

a  iS[o,  it  isn't  a  vacation ;  it's  a'stimmer-course  in- prac- 
tical sociology:" 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  159 

"  Oh,  I  see !  "  said  the  marshal ;;  and  he  smiled  in  spite 
of  himself. 

"  All  last  year  we  let  the  professors  of  political  economy 
hand  out  their  theories  to  us.  But  somehow  the  theories 
didn't  seem  to  correspond  with  the  facts.  I  said  to  my- 
self, '  I've  got  to  check  them  tip.'  You  know  the  phrases, 
perhaps  —  individualism,  laissez  faire,  freedom  of  con- 
tract, the  right  of  every  man  to  work  for  whom  he  pleases. 
And  here  you  see  how  the  theories  work  out  —  a  camp- 
marshal  with  a  cruel  smile  on  his  face  and  a  gun  on  his  hip, 
breaking  the  laws  faster  than  a  governor  can  sign  them." 

The  camp-marshal  decided  suddenly  that  he  had  had 
enough  of  this  "tea-party."  He  rose  to  his  feet  to  cut 
matters -short.  "  If  you  don't  mind,  young  man,"  said  he, 
"  we'll  get  down  to  business !  " 


§  22.  He  took  a  turn  about  the  room,  then  he  came  and 
stopped  in  front  of  Hal.  He  stood  with  his  hands  thrust 
into  his  pockets,  with  a  certain  jaunty  grace  that  was  out 
of  .keeping  with  his  occupation.  He  was  a  handsome 
devil,  Hal  thought  —  in  spite  of  his  dangerous  mouth,  and 
the  marks  of  dissipation  on  him. 

"  Young  man,"  he  began,  with  another  effort  at  geni- 
ality. "I  don't  know  who  you  are,  but  you're  wide- 
awake ;  you've  got  your  nerve  with  you,  and  I  admire  you. 
So  I'm  willing  to  call  the  thing  off,  and  let  you  go  back 
and  finish  that  course  at  college." 

Hal  had  been  studying  the  other's  careful  smile. 
"Cotton,"  he  said,  at  last,  "let  me  get  the  proposition 
clear.  I  don't  have  to  say  I  took  that  money  ?  " 

•"•No,  we'll  let  you  off 'from  that." 

"  And  you  won't  send  me  to  the  pen  ? " 

"  No.  I  never  meant  to  do  that,  of  course.  I  was 
only  trying  to  bluff  you.  All  I  ask  is  that  you  clear  out, 
and  give  our  people  a  chance  to  forget." 


160  KING  COAL 

'  "But  what's  there  in  that  for  me,  Cotton?  If  I  had 
wanted  to  run  away,  I  could  have  done  it  any  time  during 
the  last  eight  or  ten  weeks." 

"  Yes,  of  course,  but  now  it's  different.  Now  it's  a  mat- 
ter of  my  consideration.'7 

"  Cut  out  the  consideration !  "  exclaimed  Hal.     "  You 
want  to  get  rid  of  me,  and  you'd  like  to  do  it  without 
trouble.     But  you  can't  —  so  forget  it." 
•     The  other  was  staring,  puzzled.     "  You  mean  you  ex- 
pect to  stay  here  ?  " 

"I  mean  just- that." 

•"Young -man,  I've  had  enough  of  this!  I've  got  no 
more  time  to  play.  I  don't  care  who  you  are,  I  don't  care 
about  your  threats.  I'm  the  marshal  of  this  camp,  and  I 
have  the  job  of  keeping  order  in  it.  I  say  you're  going  to 
get  out !  " 

"  But,  Cotton,"  said  Hal,  "  this  is  an  incorporated  town ! 
I  have  a  right  to  walk  on  the  streets  —  exactly  as  much 
right  as  you." 

"I'm  not  going  to  waste  time  arguing.  I'm  going  to 
put  you  into  an  automobile  and  take  you  down  to  Pedro !  " 

"  And  suppose  I  go  to  the  District  Attorney  and  de- 
mand that  he  prosecute  you  :{  " 

"He'll  laugh  at  you." 

"  And  suppose  I  go  to  the  Governor  of  the  state  ?  " 

".Hell  laugh  still  louder." 

"All  right,  Cotton;  maybe  you  know  what  you're  do- 
ing; but  I  wonder  —  I  wonder  just  how  sure  you  feel. 
Has  it  never  occurred  to  you  that  your  superiors  might  not 
care  to  have  you  take  these  high-handed  steps  ?  " 

"My  superiors?     Who  do  you  mean?" 

"There's  one  man  in  the  state  you  must  respect  — 
even  though  you  despise  the  District  Attorney  and  the 
Governor.  That  is  Peter  Harrigan.." 

"  Peter  Harrigan  ?  "  echoed  the  other ;  and  then  he 
burst  into  a  laugh.  "  Well,  you  are  a  merry  lad!  " 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  161 

Hal  continued  to  study  him,1  unmoved.  "  I  wonder  if 
you're  sure!  He'll  stand  fot  everything  you've  done?" 

"He  will!"  said  the  other. 

"For  the  way  you, treat  the  workers?  He  knows  you 
are  giving  short  weights?  " 

"Oh  hell!"  said  the  other.  "Where  do  you  suppose 
he  got  the  money  for  your  college  ?. " 

There  was  a  pause;  at  last  the  marshal  asked,  de- 
fiantly, "  Have  you  got  what  you  want  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  Hal.  "Of  course,  I; thought  it  all 
along,  but  it's  hard  to  convince  other  people.  Old  Peter's 
not  like  most  of  these  Western  wolves,  you  know;  he's  a 
pious;  high-church  man." 

The  marshal  smiled  grimly.  "So  lo«g  as  there  are 
sheep,"  said  he,  "  there'll  be  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing." 

"  I  see,"  said  Hal.  "  And  you  leave  them  to  feed  on 
the  lambs!" 

"  If  any  lamb  is  silly  enough  to  be  fooled  by  that  old 
worn-out  skin,"  remarked  the  marshal,  "it  deserves  to 
be  eaten." 

Hal  was  studying  the  cynical  face  in  front  of  him. 
"  Cotton,"  he  said,  "  the  shepherds  are  asleep ;  but  the 
watch-dogs  a-re  barking.  Haven't  .you  heard  them  ?  " 

"  I  hadn't  noticed." 

"  They  are  barking,  barjking !  They  are  going  to  wake 
the  shepherds !  They  are  going  to  save  the  sheep!  " 

"Religion  don't  interest  me,"  said  the  other,,  looking 
bored;  "your  kind  any  more  than  Old  Peter's." 

And  suddenly  Hal  rose  to  his  feet.  "  Cotton,"  said  he, 
"  my  placfc  is  with  the  flock !  I'm  gsoing  back  to  my  job  at 
the  tipple!  "  And  he  started  towards  the  door. 


§23.     Jeff     Cotton     sprang    forward.     "Stop!"     he 
cried. 

But  Hal  did  not  stop. 


162  KING  COAL 

"  See  here,  young  man!  "  cried  the  marshal.-  "  Don't 
carry  this  joke  too  far !  "  And  he  sprang  to  the  door,  just 
ahead  of  his  prisoner.  His  hand  moved  toward  his  hip. 

"  Draw  your  gun,  Cotton,"  said  Hal;  and,  as  the  mar- 
shal obeyed,  "  Now  I  will  stop.  If  I  obey  you  in  future, 
it  will  be  at  the  point  of  your  revolver.'7 

The  marshal's  mouth  was  dangerous-looking.  "You 
may  find  that  in  this  country  there's  not  so  much"  between 
the  drawing  of  a  gun  and  the  firing  of  it!  " 

"  I've  explained  my  attitude,"  replied  Hal.  "  What 
are  your  orders  ?  " 

"  Come  back  and  sit  in  this  chair.?? 

So  Hal  sat,  and  the  marshal  went  to  his  desk,  and  took 
up  the  telephone.  "  Number  seven,"  he  said,  and  waited 
a  moment.  "  That  you,  Tom  ?  Bring  the  car  right 
away." 

He  hung  up  the  receiver,  and  there  followed  a  silence ; 
finally  Hal  inquired,  "  I'm  going  to  Pedro?  " 

There  was  no  reply. 

"  I  see  I've  got  on  your  nerves,"  said  Hal.  "  But  I 
don't  suppose  it's  occurred  to  you  that  you  deprived  me  of 
my  money  last  night.  Also,  I've  an  account  with  the 
company,  some  money  coming  to  me  for  my  work  \  What 
about  that  ?  " 

The  marshal  took  up  the  receiver  and  gave  another 
number.  "  Hello,  Simpson.  This  is  Cotton.  Will  you 
figure  out  the  time  of  Joe  Smith,  buddy  in  Number  Two, 
and  send  over  the  cash.  Get  his  account  at  the  store; 
and  be  quick,  we're  waiting  for  it.  He's  going  out  in 
a  hurry."  Again  he  hung  up  the  receiver. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  Hal,  "  did  you  take  that  trouble  for 
Mike  Sikoria  ?  " 

There  was  silence. 

"  Let  me  suggest  that  when  you  ^et  my  time,  you  give 
me  part  of  it  in  scrip.  I  want  it  for  a  souvenir." 

Still  there  was  silence. 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  163 

*'  Yb~u  -  know,"    persisted    the    prisoner,  ;  tormentingly!, 
"  there's  a  law  against  paying  wages  in  scrip.7' 
:  The1  marshal*  was  goaded  to  speech.     "  We  don't  payi  in 


"But  you-  do,  man!     You-  know  !yf©u  do!;" 

"We  give  it  when  they  ask  their  money  ahead."  .; 

"  The;law  requires  you  to  pay  thenrtwice.a  month,  and 
you  don't  do  it.     Yon  pay  "them  once  a  month,  and  mean- 
time, if  they  need  money,  :yOu  give  them  this  imitation 
money  !  " 
•    '"  Well,  i£  it  satisfies  .them,  where's.  your;  kick  ?  " 

"  If  it  doesn't  '-satisfy  them,  you  put  them  on  the  train 
and  ship  them  out;?  "  .  •  ,  , 

The  marshal  sat  in  silence,,  'tapping;  impatiently  with 
his  fingers  on  'the  desk. 

"Cotton,"  Hal  began,  again,  "  I'm  out  :  for  -education, 
an.d  there's  something  I'd  like  you  to  explain  to  me— 
a  problem  in  human  psychology.  WThen  a  man  puts 
through  a  deal  like  this,  what  does  he  telkhimseli  about 
it?" 

"  Young  man,"  said  the  marshal,  ^  if  you'll  ,par4on  me, 
you  are  getting  to  be  ,-a"  bore." 

"  Ohj  but  we've,  got  an  automobile  ride  before  ,  us! 
Surely  we  can't  sit  in  silence  all  the  ;way;  !  "  After  a  mo- 
ment he  add«d,  in  a  coaxing  tone,  ."  I  really  want  .-toilfcarn, 
you  know.  You  might  be  able  to  win  me  over." 

"No!"  said  Cotton,;  promptly.  :'•  I'll  not;  go-!  in  for 
anything  like  that  !  " 

"But  why  not?" 

"Because,  I'm  no  match  -for  you  an  'longvvvindedness. 
I've  heard  you  agitators  before,  you're  all  alike:  you  think 
the'  world  is  -  run  by  t^lk  r—  but  it  "isn't." 

Hal  had-  come  to  realise  >tfiat-  fee  was-  not  getting  anj^- 
where  in  his  ^iiel  with  the'carnp-marshal.  He  had  made 
^very  effort  •  to  get  somewhere;  he  had  .alr#ued;  thr^^t- 
ened,  bluffed,  he  had  even  sung  songs  for  the  marshal  ! 


164  KING  COAL 

But  the  marshal  was  going- to  ship  him  out,  that  was  all 
there  was  to  it. 

Hal  had  gone  on  with  the  quarrel,  simply  because  he 
had  to  wait  for  the  automobile,  and  because  he  had  en- 
dured indignities  and  had  to  vent  his  anger  and  disappoint- 
ment. But  now  he  stopped  quarrelling  suddenly.  His  at- 
tention was  caught  by  the  marshal's  words,  "  You  thirik  the 
world  is  run  by  talk!"  Those  were  the  words  Hal's 
brother  always  used !  And  also,  the  marshal  had  said, 
"  You  agitators !  "  For  years  it  had  been  one  of  the 
taunts  Hal  had  heard  from  his  brother,  u  You  will  turn 
into  one  of  these  agitators!"  Hal  had  answered,  with 
boyish  obstinacy,  "  I  don't  care  if  I  do!  ;"  And  now,  here 
the  marshal  was  calling  him  an  agitator,  seriously,  with- 
out an  apology,  without  the  license  of  blood  relationship. 
He  repeated  the  words,  "  That's  what  gets  me  about  you 
agitators  —  you  come  in  here  trying  to  stir  these  people 
up  — " 

So  that  was*  the  way  Hal  seemed  to  the  "  G.  F.  C." ! 
He  had  come  here  intending  to  be  a  spectator,  to  stand  on 
the  deck  of  the  steamer  and  look  down  into  the  ocean  of 
social  misery.  He  had  considered  every  step  so  carefully 
before  he  took  it!  He  had  merely  tried  to  be  a  check- 
weighman,  nothing  more!  He  had  told  Tom  Olson  he 
would  not  go  in  for  unionism;  he  had  had  a  distrust  of 
union  organisers,  of  agitators  of  all  sorts  —  blind,  irre- 
sponsible persons^  who  went  about  stirring :  up  dangerous 
passions.  He  had  come  to  admire  Tom  Olson  - —  but  that 
had  only  partly  removed  his  prejudices;  Olson  was  only 
one  agitator,  not  the  whole  lot  of  them! 

But  all  his  consideration  for  the  company  had  counted 
for  nothing;  likewise  all  his  efforts'to  convince  the  marshal 
that  he  was  a  leisure-class  person.  In  spite  of  all  Hal's 
"  te'a-party  manners,"  the  marshal  had  said,  "  You  agi- 
tators !  "  What  was  he  judging  by,  Hal  wondered.  Had 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  165- 

he,  Hal  Warner,  come  to.  look  like  one  of  these  blind,  irre- 
sponsible persons  #  It  was  time  that  he  took  stock  of  him- 
self! 

Had  two  months  of r"  dirty , work  "  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  changed  him  so?  The  idea  was  bound  to  be  dis- 
concerting to  one  who  had  been  a  favourite  of  the  ladies ! 
Did  he  talk  like  itf—  he  who  had  been  "  kissing  the 
Blarney^stone !  "  L  The  marshal  had  said  he  was "  long- 
winded  !  "  Well,  to  be  sure,  he  had  talked  a  lot ;  but. 
what  could  the  man  expect  —  having  shut  him  up  in  jail 
for  two  nights  and  a.  day,- 'with  only  his  grievances  to  brood 
over!  Was  that  the  way  real  agitators  were  made  —  be- 
ing shut'lip  with  grievances  to  brood  over? 
.  Hal  recalled  his  broodings  in  the  jail.  He  had  been 
embittered;  he  had  not  cared  whether  North  Valley  was 
dominated  by  labour  unions.  But  that  had  all  been  a 
mood,  the  same  as. his  answer  to  his  brother;  that  was 
jail  psychology,  a  part  of  his  summer  course  in  practical 
sociology.  He  had  put  it  aside;  but  apparently  it  had 
made  a  deeper  impression  upon  him  than  he  had  realised. 
It  had  changed  his  physical  aspect !  It  had  made  him 
look  and  talk  like  an  agitator!  It  had  made  him  "irre- 
sponsible," "  blind !  " 

Yes,  thajt  wa£  it!  All  th;s  dirt,  ignorance,  disease,  this 
knavery  and  oppression,  this  maiming  of  men  in  body  and 
soul  in  the  coal-camps  of  America  —  all  this  did  not  ex- 
ist—  it  was  the  hallucination  of  an  "irresponsible" 
brain!  There  was  the  evidence  of  Hal's  brother  and  the, 
camp-marshal  to  prove  it;  there  was  the  evidence  of  the 
whole  world  to  prove  it!  The  camp-marshal  and  his 
brother  and  the  whole  world  could  not  be  "  blind!  "  And 
if  you  talked  to  the.m  about'these  conditions,  they  shrugged 
their  shoulders,  they  called  you  a  ".  dreamer,"  a,  "crank," 
they  said  you  were  "  off  your  trolley  "  ;  or  else  they  became 
angry  and  bitter,  they  called  you  names;  they  said,  "  You 
agitators !  " 

12 


166  KINO-GOAL' 

§24.  The  camp-marshal  of 'North  Valley  had  beenl 
"agitated  "  to  such  an  extend  that  h<^€oiMi:not  stay  in  his 
chair.  All  the  harassments  of  his  troubled  career"  had- 
come  pouring  into  his  niind.  Ho  had  begun  pacing  the 
floor,  and  was  talking  away,51  regardless  of  whether  Hal 
listened  or  not. 

"A  campful  of  lousy  wops !--  -They  can't -understand 
any  civilised  language,-  they've  drily  we  idea  in  the  world 

—  to  shirk  every  li'ck  'of  work  they  can,1  to  fill  up  their 
cars  with  slate  and  rock  and  blame  it  on  ;some  'other*  f ellowy 
and  go  off  to  fill  themselves  with  booze.     They  won't  work 
fair,  they  won't  fight  fair- — they  fight  with  a  knife  in  the- 
back!     And  you  a'gitat'ors  with  your x sympathy  for  'them 

—  why  the  hell  dp  "they  come  to  this  'country,  unless  they 
like  iff  better  than  their  own  ?•" 

Hal  had  heard  ;thjsi:  question  before ;  but  thoy'had  to 
wait  for  the 'automobile'-1--  and  beiri^'sure  that  he;  was;  an 
agitator  now,  he  would  make;  all  the  trouble  he  could! 
"The  reason  is  obvious  enough/'  he  said.  "Isn't  it  true 
that  the  '  G.  F.  O.'?r employs  agents  abroad  to  tell  them  of 
the  wtinderf  ul  pay  they  get  in  America '? " 

"  Well,  they  get  it,  don't  they  ?     Three  times  what  tliey 
'  ever  got  at  home !  7? 

"  lres,(  but  it  doe'sn'i/  do  th-erii'any  good.  ^There's  an- 
other 'f^ct  ' wlii'cli  the "'  G.  F.  O.7  doesn't  mention  —  that 
the  cost  of  Hying  is  even  higher  than  the  -wages.  Then,, 
too,  ^hey're  led  to; think  of  America  as  a  land  of  liberty* 
they  come,  hoping  for  a  better  chance  for  themselves  and 
their  children;  but  they  find  a  camp-marshal  who's  off  in 
his  geography — -who  thinks  the  Rocky  Mountains  are 
^omewhere  in  Russi^  !"  ' 

'  "  I  know  that  Ihio  of  talk!  '''exclaimed  the  other.  "I 
learned  to  wave  the  starry  flag  when  I  was  a  kid.  But  :I 
tell  you,  you've  got  to  get 'coal. mined,  and  if  isn't  the  same 
thing  as?  running  a  Fourth  of  July  "celebration.  Some 
church  people  make  a  law  they  shan't  work  on  Sunday  — • 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  167 

and  what  comes  of  that  ?  They  have  thirty-six  hours  to 
get  soused  in,  and  so  they  can't  work  on  Monday!" 

"  Surely  there's  a  remedy,  Cotton !  Suppose  the  com- 
pany refused  to  rent  buildings  to  salooti-keepers  ? " 

"  Good  God !  You  think  we  haven't  tried  it  ?  They'go 
down  to  Pedro  for  the  stuff,  and  bring  back  all  they  can 
carry  —  inside  them  and  out.  And  if  we  stop  that- 
then  our  hands  mote  to  some  other  camps,  where  they  can 
spend  their  money  as  they  please.  No,  young  man,  when 
you  have 'Such  cattle,  you  have  to  drive  them!  And  it 
takes  a  strong  hand  to  do  it  —  a  man  like  Peter  Harrigan. 
If  there's  to  be  any  coal,  if  industry's  to  go  on,  if  there's 
to  be  any  progress  — " 

"  We  have  that  in  our  song!  "  laughed  Hal,  breaking 
into  the  camp-marshal's  discourse  — ~ 

"  He  .keeps  them  a-roll,  that  merry  old  soul  — 

The  wheels  of  industree; 
A-roll  and  a-roll,  for  his  pipe  and  his  bowl 

And  his  college  facultee!  " 

' 

"  Yes,"  growled  the  marshal.  "  It's  easy  enough  for 
you  smart  young  chaps  to  make  verses,  while  you're  living 
at  ease  on  the  old  man's. bounty.  But  that  don't  answer 
any  argument.  Are  you  college  boys  ready  to  take. over 
his  job '(  Or  these  Democrat  politicians  that  come  in  here, 
talking  fool-talk  about  liberty,  making  labour  laws  for 
these  wops — " 

"I  begin  to  understand,"  said  Hal,  "You  object  to 
the  politicians  who  pass  the  laws,. you  doubt  their  motives 
—  and  so  you  refuse  to  obey.  But  why  didn't  you  tell  me 
sooner  you  were  an  anarchist  ?  " 

"Anarchist?"  cried  the  marshal.  "Me  an  anar- 
chist?" 

"  That's  'what  an  anarchist  is,  isn't' it  ?" 

"  Good  God  !  If  that  isn't  the  limit !  You  come  here,, 
stirring  up  the  men  —  a  union  agitator,  or  whatever 


168  KING  COAL 

are  —  and  you  know  that  the  first  idea  of  these  people, 
when  they  do  break  loose,  is  to  put  dynamite  in  the  shafts 
and  set  fire  to  the  buildings !  " 

"  Do  they  do  that  ?  "  There  was  surprise  in  Hal's  tone. 
:  "  Haven't  you  read  what  they  did  in  the  last  big  strike  ? 
That  dough-faced  old  preacher,  John  Edstrom,  could  tell 
you.  He  was  one  of  the  bunch." 

"  No,"  said  Hal,  "  you're  mistaken. ,  Edstrom  has  a 
different  philosophy.  But  others  did,  I've  no  doubt. 
And  since  I've  been  here,  I  can  understand  their  point  of 
view  entirely.  When  they  set  fire  to  the  buildings,  it  was 
because  they  thought  you  and  Alec  Stone  might  be  inside." 

The  marshal  did  not  smile. 

"  They  want  to  destroy  the  properties,"  continued  Hal, 
"because  that's  the  only  way  they  can  think  of  to. punish 
the  tyranny  and  greed  of  the  owners.  But,  Cotton,  sup- 
pose some  one  were  to  put  a  new  idea  into  their  heads; 
suppose  some  one  were  to  say  to  them,  '  Don't  destroy 
the  properties  —  take  them!  f 

The  other  stared.  "  Take  them !  So  that's  your  idea 
of  morality !  " 

"  It  would  be  more  moral  than  the  method  by  which 
Peter  got  them  in  the  beginning." 

"  What  method  is  that?"  demanded  the  marshal,  with 
some  appearance  of  indignation.  "  He  paid  the  market- 
price  for  them,  didn't  he  ?  " 

"  He  paid  the  market-price  for  politicians.  Up  in 
Western  City  I  happen  to  know  a  lady  who  was  a  school- 
commissioner  when  he  was  buying  school-lands  from  the 
state  —  lands  that  were  known  to  contain  coal.  He  was 
paying  three  dollars  an  acre,  and  everybody  knew  they 
were  worth  three  thousand." 

"  Well,"  said  Cotton,  "  if  you  don't  buy  the  politicians, 
you  wake  up  some  fine  morning  and  find  that  somebody 
else  has  bought  them.  If  you  have  property,  you  have  to 
protect  it."  - 


THE  SEKFS  OF  KING  COAL  169 

"  Cotton,"  said  Hal,  "you  sell  Old  Peter  your  time  - 
but  surely  you  might  keep  part  of  your  brains!     Enough 
to  look  at  your  monthly  pay-check  and  realise  that  you  too 
are  a  wage-slave,  not  much  bettqr  than  the  miners  you 
despise." 

The  other  smiled.  "  My  check  might  be  bigger,  I  ad- 
mit; but  I've  figured  over  it,  and  I  think  I  have  an  easier 
time  than  you  agitators.  I'm  top-dog,  and  I  expeqt  to 
stay  on  top." 

"  Well,  Cotton,  on  that  view  of  life,  I  don't  wonder  you 
get  drunk  now  and  then.  A  dog-fight,  with  no  faith  or 
humanity  anywhere !  Don't  think  I'm  sneering  ,at  you  — 
I'm  talking  out  of  my  heart  to  you.  I'm  not  so  young,  nor 
such  a  fool,  that  I  haven't  had  the  dog-fight  aspect  of 
things  brought  to  my  attention.  But  there's  something  in 
a  fellow  that  insists  he  isn't  all  dog;  he  has  at  least  a  possi- 
bility of  something  better.  Take  these  poor  under-dogs 
sweating  inside  the  mountain,  risking  their  lives  every 
hour  of  the  day  and  night  to  provide  you  and  me  with  coal 
to  keep  us  warm  —  to  '  keep  the  wheels  of  industry 
a-roli '— " 


§  25.  These  were  the  last  words  Hal  spoke.  They 
were  obvious  enough  words,  yet  when  he  looked  back  upon 
the  coincidence,  it  seemed  to  him  a  singular  one.  For 
while  he  was  sitting  there  chatting,  it  happened  that  the 
poor  under-dogs  inside  the  mountain  were  in  the  midst  of 
one  of  those  experiences  which  make  the  romance  and 
terror  of  coal-mining.  One  of  the  boys  who  were  em- 
ployed underground,  in  violation  of  the  child  labour  law, 
was  in  the  act  of  bungling  his  task.  He  was  a  "  sprag- 
ger,"  whose  duty  it  was  to  thrust  a  stick  into  the  wheel  of 
a  loaded  car  to  hold  it;  and  he  was  a  little  chap,  and 
the  car  was  in  motion  when  he  made  the  attempt.  It 
knocked  him  against  the  wall  —  and  so  there  was  a  load 


17.0  KING  COAL 

of  coal  rolling  down  grade,  pursued  too  late  lyy  half  a  dozen 
men.  Gathering  inonientum,  it  whirled  round  a  curve 
and  flew  from  the  track,  crashing  into  timbers  and  knock- 
ing them  loose.  With  the  timbers  came  a  shower  of  coal- 
dust,  accumulated  for  decades  in  these  old  workings;  and 
at  the  same  time  came  an  electric,  .light  wire,  which,  as  it 
touched,  the  car,  produced  a  spark. 

And  so  it  was  that  Hal,  chatting  with  the  marshal,  sud- 
denly felt,  rather  than  heard,  a  deafening  roar;  he  felt  the 
air  about  him  turn  into  a  living  thing  which  struck  him  a 
mighty,  blow,  hurling  him  flat  upon  the  floor.  The  win- 
dows of  the  room  crashed  .inward  upon  him  in  a  shower  of 
glass,  and  the  plaster  of  the  ceiling  came  down  on  1} is  head 
in  another  shower. 

When  he  raised  himself,  half  stunne,^  he  saw  the  mar- 
shal, also  on  the  floor;  these  two;  conversationalists  stared 
at  each  other  with  horrified  eyes.  Even  as  they  crouched, 
there  came  a  crash  above  their  heads,  and  half  the  ceiling 
of  the  room  came  toward  them,  with  a  grqat  piece  of  timber 
sticking  through.  All  about  them  were  other  crashes,  as 
if  the  end  of  the  world  had  come. 

They  struggled  to  their  feet,  and  rushing  to  the  door, 
flung  it  open,  just  as  a  jagged  piece  of  timber  shattered 
the  side-walk  in  front  of  them.  They  sprang  back, again. 
"  Into'the  cellar!  "  cried  the  marshal,  leading  the  way  to 
the  back-stairs.  .  > 

But  before  they  had  started  down  these  stairs,  they 
realised,  that  the  crashing  had  ceased.  "  What  is.it?" 
gasped  Hal,  as  they  stood. 

"  Mine-explosion,"  said  the  other;,. and  after  a  few 
seconds  they  ran  to  the  door  again. 

The  first  thing  they  saw  was  a  vas^:  pillar  of  dust  and 
smoke,  rising  into  the  sky  above  them.  It  .spread  before 
their  dazed  eyes,  until  it  made  night  of  everything  about 
them.  There  was  still  a  rain  of  lighter  debris  pattering 
down  over  the  village ;  as  they  stared,  and  got  their  wits 


THE  SERES  OF  KIXG  COAL  171 


about  them,  remembering  how., -things ;  had  looked  before, 
tiiis,  they  realised  that  -.the  shaft-house  of  !N  umber  One  had 
disappeared. 

"Blown  up,  by  God !  "  ,cr.ied  the  marshal ;  and  the  two, 
ran  out  into  the  street,  and  looking  up,  saw  that  a  portion, 
of  the  wrecked  "building  had  fallen  through  the  roof,  of  the 
jail  abo.Vje  their  heads. 

.  The  rain  of.  debris  had  now7  ceased,  but  there  were  clouds 
of  dust  which  covered  the  two  men  black;  the  clouds  grew^ 
worse^  /until  they  could  .hardly  see  their way  at  all.  And 
with  the  darkness  there;:  fell  silence,  which,  after  the 
sound  of  :the  explosion  and  the  crashing  of  debris,  seemed 
the  silence .  of  death. 

.  For  a  few  moments  Hal  stood  dazed.  -He, saw  a  stream 
of  men  and  boys  pouring. -.from  the  .breaker ;  while  from 
every  street: there  appeared  a.!stream  of  women-;  women 
old,  women -young  — leaving  their  cooking  on  the  stove, 
their  babies  in,  the  crib,,. with  their  older  children  scream- 
ing at  their  skirts,  they  gathered  in  swarms  about  the  pit- 
mouth,  which  was  like  the  steaming  crater  of  a  volcano,  ni 

Cartwright,  the  superintendent,  appeared,  running  to- 
ward' the  'fan-house.  Cotton  -joined]"  him,  and  Hal  fol- 
lowed: The  fan-house  was  a i wreck, 'the  giant  fan  lying 
on  the  ground  a  hundred  feet  away,  its  blades  smashed. 
Hal  was  too  inexperienced  in  mine-matters  to  get  the  full, 
significance  of  this ;  but  he  saw  the  marshal  and  the  .super- 
intendent stare  blankly  at  each  .other,  and,  heard  the 
former's  exclamation,  "  That  does  for  us!"  '  Cartwright 
'said  hot  a  word;  but  his  thin  lips  were  pressed  together, 
and  there  was  fear  in  his  eyes. 

Back  to  the  smoking  pit-mouth^ the  two  men  hurried, 
with  Hal  following.  Here  were  a  hundred,  two  hundred; 
women  crowded,  clamouring  questions  all  at  once.  >  They 
swaitmed;  about  the  marshal,  the  superintendent,  the  other 
bosses  — +  even  about  Halj  i  crying  hysterically  in  Polish 
and  Bohemian  and  Greek.  When  Hal -shook  his  head,  in- 


172  KING  COAL 

dicating  that  he  did  not  "Understand  them,  they  moaned  in 
anguish,  or  shrieked  aloud.  Some  continued  to  stare  into 
the  smoking  pit-mouth  •  others  covered  the  sight  from  their 
eyes,  or  sank  down  upon  their  knees,  sobbing,  praying  with 
uplifted  hands. 

Little  by  little  Hal  began  to  realise  the  full  horror  of  a 
mine-disaster.  It  was  not  noise  and  smoke  and  darkness, 
nor  frantic,  wailing  women:  it  was  not  anything  above 
ground,  but  what  was  below  in  the  smoking  black  pit !  It 
wa's  men !  Men  whom  Hal  knew,  whom  he  had  \vorked 
with  and  joked  with,  whose  smiles  he  had  shared,  whose 
daily  life  he  had  come  to  know !  Scores,  possibly  hun- 
dreds "of  them,  they  were  down  here  under  his  feet  — 
some  dead,  others  injured,  maimed.  What  would  they 
do  ?  What  would  those  on  the  surface  do  for  them  ?  Hal 
tried  to  get  to  Cotton,  to  ask  him  questions;  but  the  camp- 
marshal  was  surrounded,  besieged.  He  was  pushing  the 
women  back,  exclaiming,  "  Go  away!  Go  home!  " 

What  ?  Go  home  ?  they  cried.  When  their  men  were 
in  the  mine  ?  They  crowded  about  him  closer,  imploring, 
shrieking. 

-"  Get  out !  "  he  kept  exclaiming.  "  There's1  nothing 
you  can  do!  There's  nothing  anybody  can  do  yet!  Go 
home !  Go  home !  "  He  had  to  beat  them  back  by  force, 
to  keep  them  from  pushing  one  another  into  the  pit- 
mouth. 

Everywhere  Hal  looked  were  women  in  attitudes  of 
grief:  standing  rigid,  staring  ahead  of  them  as  if  in  a 
trance;  sitting-  down,  rocking  to  and  fro;  on  their  knees 
with  faces  uplifted  in  prayer;  clutching  their  terrified 
children  about  their  skirts.  He  saw  an  Austrian  woman, 
a  pitiful,  pale -young  thing  with  a  ragged  grey  shawl  about 
her  head,  stretching  out  her  hands  and  crying:  "  Mein 
Mann !  Mein  Mann  !  "  Presently  she  covered  her  face, 
and  her  voice  died  into  a  wail  of  despair :  "  O,  me  hi 
Mann!  O,  me  in  Mann  !  "'  She  "turned  away-  staggering 


THE  SERFS  OE  KING  COAL  173 

;.a]x>ut  like  some  creature  that  has  received  a  death  wound. 
•'Hal's  eye^  followed  her:  her  cry,  repeated  over  and  over 
incessantly.,,  became  the,  leit-motif  of  this  symphony  of 
horror. 

He  had  read  about  mine-disasters  in  his  morning  news- 
paper; but  here  a  mine-disaster  became  a  thing  of  human 
flesh  and  blood.  The  unendurable  part  of  it  was  the 
utter  impotence  of  himself  and  of  all  the  world.  This 
impotence  became  clearer  to  him  each  moment  —  from  the 
exclamations  of  Cotton  and  of  the  men  he  questioned.  It 
was  monstrous,  incredible  —  but  it  was  so !  They  must 
send  for  a  new  fan,  they  .must  wait  for  it  to  be  brought  in, 
they  must  set  it  up  and  get  it  into  operation;  they  must 
wait  fpr  hours  after  that  while  smoke  and  gas  were  cleared 
out  of  the  main  passages  of  the  mine;  and  until  this  had 
been  done,  there  was  nothing  they  could  do  —  absolutely 
nothing!  The  men  inside  the  mine  would  stay.  Those 
who  had  not  been  killed  outright  would  make  their  way 
into  the  remoter  chambers,  and  barricade  themselves 
against  the  deadly  "  after  damp."  They  would  wait, 
without  food  or  water,  with  air  of  doubtful  quality  — 
they  would  wait  and  wait,  until  the  rescue-crew  could  get 
to  them ! 


§  26.  At  moments  in  the  midst  of  this  confusion,  Hal 
found  himself  trying  to  recall  who  had  worked  in  Number 
One,  among  the  people  he  knew.,  He  himself  had  been 
employed  in  Number  Two,  so  he  had  naturally  come  to 
know  more  men  in  that  mine.  But  he  had  known  some 
from  the  other  mine  —  Old  Rafferty  for  one,  and  Mary 
Burke's  father  for  another,  arid  at  least  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  his  check-weighman  group  —  Zamierowski.  Hal 
saw  in  a  sudden  vision  the  face  of  this  patient  little  man, 
who  smiled  so  good-naturedly  while  -Americans  were  try- 
ing to  say  his  name.  And  Old  liafferty,  with  all  his  little 


M74  KING  COAL 

Rafferties,  and  his  piteous  efforts  to  keep  the  favour  of  his 
employers!  And  poor  Patrick  Btirke,  whom  Hal  had 
never  seen  sober;  doubtless  he  was  sober  now, .if  he  was 
still  alive ! 

Then  in  the  crowd  Hal  encountered  Jerry  Minetti,  and 
learned  that  another  man  who  ha&'been  down  was  ;Faren- 
zena^  the  Italian  whose  "  -fanciulla y'  had  played  with 
him;  and  yet  another  was  Judas  Apostolikas  r—  having 
taken  his  thirty  pieces  of  silver  with  him  into  the  death- 
trap! 

People  were  making  up  lists,  just  as  Hal  was  doing,  by 
askhig  -questions  of  others.  These  lists  were  subject1  to 
revision  —  sometimes  under  dramatic  -  circumstances. 
You  saw  a  woman  weeping, ' with  her  apron  to  her  eyes; 
suddenly  she  would  look  up, 'give  a  piercing  cry,  and  iliiVg 
her  arms  about  the  neck  of  some  man.  As  for  Hal,  he 
•felt  as  if  he  were-  encountering  a  ghost  'tvheri  suddenly  he 
recognised  Patrick  Burke,  standing  in  the  mklst  of  a  group 
of  people.  He  went  over  and  'heard  the  old  man's  story 
—  how  there  was  a  Dago  fellow  who  had' stolen  his  timbers, 
and  he  had  come  up  to  the  surface  for  more;  so  his  life 
had  I  been  saved,  while  ;  the  timber-thief  was  down  there 
still  —  a  judgment  of  Providence  upon  mine-miscreants  ! 

Presently  Hal  asked  if  Burke  had  been  to  tell  his 
family.  He  had  run  home,  he  said,  but  there  was  no- 
body there.  So  Hal  began  pushing  his  way  through  the 
throngs,  looking  for  Mary,  or  her  sister  J  crime,  or  her 
brother  Tommies  He  persisted  in  this  search,  although 
it  occurred  to  him  to  wonder  whether  the  family  of  a  hope- 
less drunkard' would  appreciate  the  interposition  of 'Provi- 
dence in  his  behalf. 

Pie  encountered  Olson,  Who  had  had  a  narrow  escape, 
being  employed  as  a  surface-man  near  the  hoist.  All  this 
was  an  old^fctory  to  the  organiser,  who  had  worked  in 
mines'  since  he  was  eight  years  old,  and  had  seen  many 
kinds  of  disaster.  He  began  to  explain  things  to  Hal,  in 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  175 

a  matter  of  fact  way.  The  law  required  a  certain  nuni- 
ber  of  openings  to  'every  mine,  also  an  escape-way  with 
ladders  by  which  men  could  come  out;  but  it  cost  good 
money  to  dig  holes  in  the  ground. 

At  this  time  the  immediate  cause  of  the  explosion  was 
unknown,  but  they  could  tell  it  was  a  "  dust  explosion" 
by  the*  clouds  of  coke-dust,  and  no  one.  who  had  been  into 
the  mine  arid  seen  its  dry  condition  would  doubt  what  they 
would  find  when  they  went  down  and  traced  out  the 
"  force  "  and  its  effects.  They  were  supposed  to  do  regu- 
lar sprinkling,  but  in  such  matters  the  bosses  used  their 
own  judgment. 

Hal  was  only  half  listening  to  these  explanations.  The 
thing  was  too  raw  and  too  horrible  to  him.  .  What  differ- 
ence did  it  make  whose  fault  it  was?  The  accident  had 
happened,  and  the  question  was  now  "how  to  meet  the 
emergency!  Underneath  Olson's  sentences  he , heard  the 
cry  of  men  and  boys  being  asphyxiated  in  dark  dungeons 
—  he  heard  the  wailing  of  women,  like  a  surf  beating  on  a 
distant  sliore,  or  the  faint,  persistent  accompaniment  of 
muted  strings,:  "  O,  mein  Mann!  O,  mein .Mann !  " 

They  came 'upon  Jefjf  Cotton  again.  With  half  a  dozen 
men  to  help  him,  he  was  pushing  back  the  crowd  from  the 
pit-mouth,  and  stretching  barbed  wired  to  hold  them  back. 
He  was  none  too  gentle  about,  it,  Hal  thought;  but  doubt-, 
less  women  are  provoking  when  they  are  hysterical.  He 
was  answering  their  frenzied  questions,  "  Yes,  yes !. 
We're  getting  a  new  fan.  We're  doing  everything  we  can, 
I  tell  you.  We'll  get  them  out.  Go  home  and  wait."  . 

But  of  course  no  one  would  go  home.  How  could  a 
woman  sit  in  her  house,  or  go  about  her  ordinary  tasks  of 
cooking  or  washing,  while  her  man  might  ;be  suffering 
asphyxiation  under  the  ground  ?  The  least  she  could  do 
was  to  stand  at  the  pit-mouth  —  as  near  to  him'  as  she 
could  get!  Some  of  them  stood  motionless,  hour  after 
hour,  while  others  wandered  through  the  village  streets, 


176  KING  COAL 

asking  the  same  people,  over  and  over  again,  if  they  had 
seen  their  loved  ones.  Several  had  turned  up,  like  Pat- 
rick Burke ;  there  seemed  always  a  chance  for  one  more. 


§  27.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  Hal  came  upon 
Mary  Burke  on  the  street.  She  had  long  ago  found  her 
father,  and  seen  him  off  to  O'Callahan's  to  celebrate  the 
favours  of  Providence.  Now  Mary  was  concerned  with  a 
graver  matter.  Number  Two  Mine  was  in  danger  1  The 
explosion  in  Number  One  had  been  so  violent  that  the 
gearing  of  the  fan  of  the  other  mine,  nearly  a  mile  up  the 
canyon,  had  been  thrown  out  of  order.  So  the  fan  had 
stopped ;  and  when  some  one  had  gone  to,  Alec  Stone,  ask- 
ing that  he  bring  out  the  men,  Stone  had  refused.-  "  What 
do  ye  think  he  said?  "  cried  Mary.  "What  do  ye  think? 
'  Damn  the  men !  Save  the  mules ! '  " 

Hal  had  all  but  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
second  mine  in  the  village,  in  which  hundreds  of  men  and 
boys  were  still  at  work.  "  Wouldn't  they  know  about  the 
explosion  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  They  might  have  heard  the  noise/7  said  Mary.  "  But 
they'd  not  know  what  it  was;  and  the  bosses  won't  tell 
them  till  they've  got  out  the  mules." 

For  all  that  he  had  seen  in  North  Valley,  Hal  could 
hardly  credit  that  story.  "  How  do  you  know  it,  Mary  ?  " 

"  Young  Rovetta  just  told  me.  He  was  there,  and 
heard  it  with  his  own  ears." 

He  was  staring  at  her.  "  Let's  go  and  make  sure,"  he 
said,  and  they  started  up  the  main  street  of  the  village. 
On  the  way  they  were  joined  by  others  —  for  already 'the., 
news  of  this  fresh  trouble  had  begun  to  spread.  Jeff  Cot- 
ton went  past  them  in  an  automobile,  and  Mary  ex- 
claimed, "  I  told  ye  so!  When  ye  see  him  goin',  ye  know 
there's  dirty  work  to  be  done!  " 

They  came  to  the  shaft-house  of  Number  Two,  and 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  17Y 


found  a  swarm  of  people,  almost  a  riot.  Women  and 
children  were  shrieking  and  gesticulating,  threatening  to 
break  into  the  office  and  use  the  mine-telephone  to  warn 
the  men  themselves.  And  here  was  the  camp-marshal 
driving  them  back.  Hal  and  Mary  arrived  in  time  to  see 
Mrs.  David,  whose  husband  was  at  work  in  Number  Two, 
shaking  her  fist:in  the  marshal's  face  and  screaming  at  him 
like  a  wild-cat.  He  drew  his  revolver  upon  her;  and  at 
this  Hal  started  forward.  A  blind  fury  seized  him— -  he 
would  have  thrown  himself  upon  the  marshal. 

But  Mary  Burke  stopped  him,  flinging  hei*  arms  about 
him,  and  pinning  him  by  main  force.  "  No,  no !  "  she 
cried.  "Stay  back,  man!  D'ye  want  to  get  killed?" 

He  was  amazed  at  her  strength.  He  was  amazed  also 
at  the  vehemence  of  her  emotion.  She  was  calling  him  a 
crazy  fool,  and  names  even  more  harsh.  "Have  ye  no 
more  sense  than  a  woman  ?  Running  into  the  mouth  of  a 
revolver  like  that !  " 

The  crisis  passed  in  a  moment,  for  Mrs.  David  fell 
back,  and  then  the  marshal  put  up  his  weapon.  But  Mary 
continued  scolding  Hal,  trying  to  drag  him  away.  "  Come 
dn  now!  Come  out  of  here !  " 

"  But,  Mary !     We  must  do  something !  " 

"Ye  can  do  nothing  I  tell  ye!  Ye'd  ought  to  have 
sense  enough  to  know  it.  I'll  not  let  ye  get  yeself  mur- 
dered !  Come  away  now !  "  And  half  by  force  and  half 
by  cajoling,  she  got  him  farther  down  the  street. 
*  He  was  trying  to  think  out  the  situation.  Were  the 
men  in  Number  Two  really  in  danger  ? .  Could  it  be  pos- 
sible that  the  bosses  would  take  such  a  chance  in  cold 
blood  ?  And  right  at  this  moment,  with  the  disaster  in 
the  other  mine  before  their  eyes !  He  could  not  believe 
it ;  and  meantime  Mary,  at  his  side,  was  declaring  that  the 
men  were  iri  no  real  danger  —  it  was  only  Alec  Stone's 
bhital .  words  that  had  set  her  crazy. 

"Don't  ye  remember  the  time  when  the  air-course  was 


KING  COAL 

blocked  before,  and  ye  helped  to  get  up  .the  mules  yeself .? 
Ye  tli ought  nothin'  ;of  it  then,,  and  'tis  the, ;  same  now, 
They'll  get  every bpjdy  out  in  time !  " 

She  was  concealing  her  real  feelings  in  order  to  keep 
him  safe;  he  let  her  lead  him  ouy. while  he  tried  to  think 
of  something  else  to  do.  He  would,  think  of  the  men  in 
Number  Two;  they  were  his  best  friends,..  Jack  David,  Tim 
Ra'fferty,,  Wresrnak,  Androkulos,  Klowoski.  :He  would 
think  of  them,  in  their,  remote  dungeons  -^-  breathing  bad 
air,  .becoming  sick  and  faint  • — in  orpler  that  mules  might 
be  saved!  He  would  stop  in  his  tracks,  and  Mary  would 
drag  him  on,  repeating  over  and  over,-"  Ye  can  do  nothin'  1 
Nothin' !  "  And  then  he  would  think,.  What  could  he  do.?, 
He. had  put  up  his  best  bluff  to  Jeff  Cotton  a  few  hours 
earlier,  and  the,  answer  had  been  the  jnuzzle  of  the  mar- 
shal's revolver  in  his  face.  ,  All  he  could  accomplish-now 
would  be  to  bring  himself  to  Cotton's  attention,  and  be 
thrust  out  of  camp  forthwith. 


•  §  28,  They  came  to  Mary's  home;  and  next  door  was 
the  home  of  the  Slav  woman,  Mrs.  Zamboni,  about  whom, 
in  the  past  she  had  told  him  so  many  funny  stories. 
Mrs.  Zamboni  had  had  a  new  baby  every  year  for  sixteen 
years,  and  eleven  of  these  babies  were  still  alive.  Now 
her  husband  was  trapped  in  Number  One,  and  she  was 
distracted,  wandering  about  the  streets  with  the  greater 
part  of  her  brood  *at  her  heels.  At  intervals  she  would 
emit  a  howl  like  a  tortured  animal,  and  her  brood  would 
take  it  up  in  various  tinibres.  Hal  stopped  to  listen  to 
the  sounds,  but  Mary  put  her  fingers  into  her  ears  and  fled, 
into  the  house.  Hal  followed  Ijer,  and  saw  h'er  fling  her* 
self  into  a  chair  and  burst  into  hysterical  weeping.  And; 
suddenly  Hal  realised  what  a  strain  this  terrible  affair  had. 
been  upon  Mary.  It  had  been  bad  enough  to  him—  but- 
he  was  a  man,  and  more  able  to  contemplate  sights  of 


THE  SERFS  OE  KING  COAL  179 

Horror.  Men  went  to  their  deaths  in  industry!  and  war, 
and  other  men  saW'them  go  and  inured- themselves  to  ;the 
spectacle.  But  women  were  the  mothers  of  thesfe  men;  it 
was  women  who  bore  them  in  pain,  nursed  them  and 
reared  them  with  endless  patience — -women  could  never 
become  inured  to  the- spectacle-!  Then  too,  the •;  women's 
fate  was  worse.  If  the  men  were  dead,  that  was  the  end 
of.  them;  but  the- women  must  face  the  future,  with  its 
bitter  memories,  its-  lonely  and  desolate  struggle  for- ex- 
istence. The  women  miist  see  the  children  suffering, 
dying  'by  slow  stages,  of  deprivation. 

Hal's  pity  for  all  suffering  women,  became  concentrated 
upon  the  girl  beside  him.  He -knew  how  tenderhearted 
she  was.  She  had  no  man  in  the  mine,  but  some  day  she 
would  have,  and  she  was  suffering  the  pangs  of  that  in- 
exorable future.  He' looked  at>  her,  huddled  in  her  ;•  chair, 
vyiping  away  her  tears  with  the  hem  of  her  old  blue  calico. 
She  seemed  unspeakably  pathetic — 'like  a  child  that  has 
been  hurt.  She  was  sobbing  out  sentences  now  and  then, 
as  if  to. herself :  "  Oh,  the  poor  women,  the  poor  women  ! 
Did  ye  see-dhe?fafce  of  Mr&  ISTonotch  ?  She'd  jumped  into 
the  smoking  pit-mouth  if  they'd  let  her !  " 

"Don't  suffer  so, -Mary!"  pleaded.  Hal  — as  -if  he 
thou'ght  she  could  stop. 

"Let  me  alone!"  she  cried.  "  Let  me  have  it  out!" 
And  Hal,  who  had  had  no  experience  with  hysteria,-  stood 
helplessly  by. 

"  There's  moate  misery  than  I  ever  knew  there  was!  " 
she  .went  on.  "  3Tis  everywhere  ye  turn,  a  woman1 -with 
her  eyes' burnin'  with  sufferin',  wondering  if<<she'dl  ever 
see  her  man  again !  Or  some*  mother  whose  lad  may  be 
dying  and  she  can  do  nothin'  for  him!." 

"  And  neither  can  you  do  anything,  Mary,"  Hal  pleaded 
again.  .  u  You're -only  sorrowing  yourself  to  death." 

"  Ye  say  that  to  me  ?  "  she  cried.  .  "  And  when -ye  were 
ready  to  let  Jeff  Cotton  shoot  ye,  because  you  were  so  sorry 


180  KING  COAL 

for  Mrs.  David!  No.,  the  sights  here  nobody  can  stand.* 
He  could  thiilk  of  nothing  to  -answer.  He  drew  up  a 
chair  and  sat  by  her  in  silence,  and  after  a  while  she  began 
to'grow  calmer,  and  wiped  away  her  tears,  and  sat  gazing 
dully  through  the  doorway  into  the  dirty  little  street. 

Hal's  eyes  followed  hers.  There  were  the  ash-heaps  and 
tomato-cans,  there  were  two  of  Mrs.  Zamboni's  bedraggled 
brood,  poking  with  sticks;  into  a  dump-heap  — •  looking  for 
something  to  eat,  perhaps,  or  for  something  to  play  with. 
There  was  the  dry,  waste  grass  of  the  road-side,  grimy  with 
coal-dust,  as  was  everything  else  in  the  village.  What  a 
scene ! — And  this  girl's  eyes  had  never  a":  sight  of  any- 
thing more  inspiring  than  this.  Day  in  and  day  out,  all 
her  life  long,  she  looked  at  this  scene !  Had  he  ever  for  a 
moment  reproached  her  for  her  "  black  moods  "  2  With 
such  an  environment  could  men  or  women  be  cheerful  — 
could  they  dream  of  beauty, ^aspire  to  heights  of  nobility 
and  -courage,  to  happy  service  of  their  fellows?  There 
was  a  .miasma  of  despair  over  this  place;  it  was  not  a 
real  place  —  it  was  a  dream-place  —  a  horrible,  dis- 
torted nightmare!  It  was  like  the  black  hole  in  the 
ground  which  haunted  Hal's  imagination,  with  men  and 
boys  at  the  bottom;  of  it,  dying  of  asphyxiation ! 

Suddenly  it  came  to  Hal  —  he  wanted  to  get  away  from 
North  Valley!  To  get  away  at  all  costs!  The  place  had 
worn  down  his  courage ;  slowly,  -day  after  day,  the  sight  of 
misery  and  want,  of  dirt  and  disease,  of  hunger,  oppres- 
sion, despair,  had  eaten  the  soul  out  of  ;kim,  had  under- 
mined his  fine  structure  of  altruistic  theories.  Yes,  he 
wanted  to  escape — -to  a  place  where  the  sun  shone,  where 
the  grass  grew  green,  where  human  beings  stood  erect  and 
laughed  and  were  free.  He  wanted  to  shut  from  his  eyes 
the  dust  and  smoke  of  this  nasty  little  village;  to  stop  his 
ears  to  that  tormenting  sound  of  women  wailing:  "  0, 
mein  Mann ! .  O,  mein.Mann!  " 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  181 

.  He  looked  at  the  girl,  who  sat  staring  before  her,  bent 
forward,  her  arras  hanging  limply  over  her  knees. 

ki  Mary,"  he  said,  "  you  must  go  away  from  here!  It's 
no  place  for  a  tenderhearted  girl  to  be.  It's  no  place  for 
any  one !  " 

She  gazed  at  him  dully  for  a  moment.  "  It  was  me  that 
was  tellin'  you  to, go  away,"  she  said,  at  last.  "Ever 
since  ye  came  here  I  been  sayin'  it !  Now  I  guess  ye  know 
what  1  mean." 

"  Yes,", he  said,  "  I  do,  and  I  want  to  go.  But  I  want 
you  to  go  too." 

"  D'ye  think  'twould  do  me  any  good,.  Joe?  "  she  asked. 
"  D'ye  think  'twould  do  me  any  good  to  get  away  ?  Could 
I  ever  forget  the  sights  I've  seen  this  day  ?  Could  I  ever 
have  any  real,  honest  happiness  anywhere  after  this  ?  " 

He. tried  to  reassure  her,  but  he  was  far  from  reassured 
himself.  How  would  it  be  with  him  ?  Would  he  ever 
feel  ,that  he  had  a  right  to  happiness  after  this  ?  Could  he 
take  any  satisfaction  in  a  pleasant  and  comfortable  world, 
knowing  that  it  was  based  upon  such  hideous  misery '( 
His. thoughts  went  to  that  world,  where  careless,  pleasure- 
loving  people  sought  gratification  of  their  desires.  It 
came  to  him  suddenly  that  what  he  wanted  more  than  to 
get  away  was  to  bring  those  people  here,  if  only  for  a  day, 
for  an  hour,  that  they  might  hear  this  chorus  of  wailing 
women ! 


§  29.  Mary  made  Hal  swear  that  he  would  not  get  into 
a  fight  with  Cotton;  then  they  went  to  Number  Two. 
They  found  the  mules  coming  up,  and  the  bosses  promising 
that  in  a  short  while  the  men  w^ould  be  coming.  Every- 
thing was  all  right  —  there  was  not  a  bit  of  danger ! 
But  Mary  was  afraid  to  trust  Hal,  in  spite  of  his  promise, 
so  she  lured  him  back  to  Number  One. 


182  KING  COAL 

They  found  that  a  rescue-car  had  just  arrived  from 
Pedro,  bringing  doctors  and  nurses,  also  several  "  hel- 
mets." These  "helmets"  were  strange  looking  contriv- 
ances, fastened  over  the  head  and  shoulders,  air-tight,  and 
provided  with  oxygen  sufficient  to  last  for  an  hour  or  more. 
The  men  who  wore  them  sat  in  a  big  bucket  which  was  let 
down  the  shaft  with  a  windlass,  and  every  now  and  then 
they  pulled  on  a  signal-cord  to  let  those  on  the  surface  know 
they  were  alive.  When  the  first  of  them  came  back,  he 
reported  that  there  were  bodies  near  the  foot  of  the  shaft, 
but  apparently  all  dead.  There  was  heavy  black  smoke, 
indicating  a  fire  somewhere  in  the  mine;  so  nothing  more 
could  be  done  until  the  fan  had  been  set  up.  By  reversing 
the  fan,  they  could  draw  out  the  smoke  and  gases  and  clear 
the  shaft. 

The  state  mine-inspector  had  been  notified,  but  was  ill 
at  home,  and  was  sending  one  of  his  deputies.  Under  the 
law  this  official  would  have  charge  of  all  the  rescue  work, 
but  Hal  found  that  the  miners  took  no  interest  in  his  pres- 
ence. It  had  been  his  duty  to  prevent  the  accident,  and 
he  had  not  done  so.  When  he  came,  he  would  do  what 
the  company  wanted. 

Some  time  after  dark  the  workers  began  to  come  out  of 
Number  Two,  and  their  women,  waiting  at  the  pit-mouth, 
fell  upon  their  necks  with  cries  of  thankfulness.  Hal  ob- 
served other  women,  whose  men  were  in  Number  One,  and 
would  perhaps  never  come  out  again,,  standing  and  watch- 
ing these  greetings  with  wistful,  tear-filled  eyes.  Among 
those  who  came  out  was  Jack  David,  and  Hal  walked  home 
with  him  and  his  wife,  listening  to  the  latter  abuse  Jeff 
Cotton  and  Alec  Stone,  which  was  an  education  in  the  vo- 
cabulary of  class-consciousness.  The  little  Welsh  woman 
repeated  the  pit-boss's  saying,  "  Damn  the  men,  save  the 
mules!"  She  said  it  again  and  again  —  it  seemed  to 
delight  her  like  a  work' of  art,  it  summed  up  so  perfectly 
the  attitude  of  the  bosses  to  their  men !  There  were  many 


THE  SEKFS  OF  ZING  COAL  183 

other  people  repeating  that  saying,  Hal  found ;  it  went  all 
over  the  village,  in  a  few  days  it  Went  all  over  the  district. 
It  summed  up  what  the  district  believed  to  be  the  attitude 
of  the  coal-operators  to  the  workers ! 

Having  got  over  the  first  shock  of  the  disaster,  Hal 
'wanted  information,  and  he  questioned  Big  Jack,  a  solid 
and  well-read  man  who  had  given  thought  to  every  aspect 
'of  the  industry.  In  his  quiet,  slow  way,  he  explained  to 
Hal  that  the  frequency  of  accidents  in  this  district  was  not 
due  to  any  special  difficulty  in  operating  these  mines,  the 
explosiveness  of  the  gases  or  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere. 
It  was  merely  the  carelessness  of  those  in  charge,  their 
disregard  of  the  laws  for  the  protection  of  the  men.  There 
ought  to  be  a  law  with  "teeth  "  in  it  —  for  example,  one 
providing  that  for  every  man  killed  in  a  coal-mine  his 
'heirs  should  receive  a  thousand  dollars,  regardless  of  who 
had  been  to  blame  for  the  accident.  Then  you  would  see 
how  quickly  the  operators  would  get  busy  and  find  reme- 
dies for  the  "  unusual  "dangers ! 

As  it  was,  they  knew  that  no  matter  how  great  their 
culpability,  they  could  get  off  with  slight  loss.  Already, 
no  doubt,  their  lawyers  were  on  the  spot,  and  by  the  time 
the  first  bodies  were  brought  out,  they  would  be  fixing 
things  up  with  the  families.  They  would  offer  a  widow 
a  ticket  back  to  the  old  country ;  they  would  offer  a  whole 
family  of  orphaned  children,  maybe  fifty  dollars,  maybe 
a  hundred  dollars  —  and  it  would  be  a  case  of  take  it  or 
leave  it.  You  could  get  nothing  from  the  courts ;  the  case 
was  so  hopeless  that  you  could  not  even  find  a  lawyer  to 
make  'the  attempt.  That  was  one  reform  in  which  the 
companies  believed,  said  "  Big  Jack,"  with  sarcasm  ;•  they 
had  put  the  "  shyster  lawyer  "  out  of  business ! 


§  30.     There  followed  a  night  and  then  another  day  of 
torturing  suspense.     The  fan  came,  but  it  had  to  be  set  up 


184  KING  COAL 

before  anything  could  be  done!  As  volumes  of  black  smoke 
continued  to  pour  from  the  shaft,  the  opening  was  made 
tight  with  a  board  and  canvas  cover;  it  was  necessary,  the 
bosses  said,  but  to  Hal  it  seemed  the  climax  of  horror.  To 
seal  up  men  and  boys  in  a  place  of  deadly  gases ! 

There  was  something  peculiarly  torturing  in  the  idea 
of  men  caught  in  a  mine;  they  were  directly  under  one's 
feet,  yet  it  was  impossible  to  get  to  them,  to  communicate 
with  them  in  any  way!  The  people  on  top  yearned  to 
them,  and  they,  down  below,  yearned  back.  It  was  im- 
possible to  forget  them  for  even  a  few  minutes.  People 
would  become  abstracted  while  they  talked,  and  would 
stand  staring  into  space;  suddenly,  in  the  rnidst  of  a 
crowd,  a  woman  would  bury  her  face  in  her  hands  and 
burst  into  tears,  and  then  all  the  others  would  follow  suit. 

Few  people  slept  in  North  Valley  during  those  two 
nights.  They  held  mourning  parties  in  their  homes  or  on 
the  streets.  Some  house-work  had  to  be  done,  of  course, 
but  no  one  did  anything  that  could  be  left  undone.  The 
children  would  not  play ;  they  stood  about,  silent,  pale,  like 
wizened-up  grown  people,  over-mature  in  knowledge  of 
trouble.  The  nerves  of  every  one  were  on  edge,  the  self- 
control  of  every  one  balanced  :upon  a  fine  point. 

It  was  a  situation  bound  to  be  fruitful  in  imaginings,  and 
rumours,  stimulated  to  those  inclined  to  signs  and  omens 
-7-  the  seers  of  ghosts,  or  those  who  went,  into  trances,  or 
possessed  second  sight  qr  other  mysterious  gifts.  There 
were  some  living  in  a  remote, part  of  .the  village  who  de- 
,clared  they  had  heard  explosions  under  the  ground,  several 
blasts  -in  quick  succession.  The  men  underground  were 
setting  .off  dynamite  by  way  of  signalling! 

In  the  course^  of  the  second  day  Hal  sat  with  Mary 
Burke  upon  the  steps  of  her  home.  Old  Patrick  lay 
within,  having  found  the  secret  of  oblivion  at  O'Callahan's. 
~Now  and  then  came  the  moaning  of  Mrs.  Zamboni,  who 
was  in  her  cabin  with  her  brood  of  children.  Mary  had 


THE  SERFS  !  OF  KING  COAL  185 

been  in  to  feed  them,  because  the  distracted  mother  let  them 
starve  and  cry.  Mary  was  worn  out,  herself;  the  won- 
derful Irish  domplexion  had  faded,  and  there  were  no 
curves  to  the  vivid  lips.  They  had  been  sitting  in  silence; 
for  there  was  nothing  to  talk  6f  but  the  disaster — -and 
they  had  said  all  there  was  to  say  about  that.  But  Hal 
had  been  thinking  while  he  watched  Mary. 

"Listen,  Mary,"  he  said,  at  last;  "when  this  thing  is 
over,  you  must  really  come  away  from  here.  I've  thought 
it  all  out  —  I  have  friends  in  Western  City  who  will  give 
you  work,  so  you  can  take  care  of  yourself;  and  of  your 
brother  and  sister  too.  Will  you  go  ?  " 

But  she  did  not  answer.  She  continued  to  gaze  indif- 
ferently into  the  dirty  little  street. 

"  Truly,  Mary,"  he  went  on,  "  Life  isn't  so  terrible 
everywhere  as  it  is  here.  Come  away!  Hard  as  it  is  to 
believe,  you'll  forget  all  this.  People  suffer,  but  then  they 
stop  suffering;  it's  nature's  way  —  to  make  them  forget." 

"  Nature's  way  has  been  to  beat  me  dead,"  said  she. 

"  Yes,  Mary.  Despair  can  Become  a  disease,  but  it 
hasn't  with  you.  You're  just  tired  out.  If  you'll  try  to 
rouse  yourself—"  And  he  reached  over  and  caught  her 
hand  with  an  attempt  at  playfulness.  '  "  Cheer  up,  Mary  V 
You're  coming  away  from  North  Valley." 

She  turned  and  looted  at  him.  "  Am  I  ?  "  she  asked, 
impassively;  and  she  went  on  studying  his  face.  "  Who 
are  ye,  Joe  Smith?  WThat  are  ye  doin'  here?" 

"Working  in  a  coal-mine,"  lie  laughed,  still  trying  to 
divert  her. 

But  she  went  on,  as  gravely  as  before.  "  Ye're  no  work- 
ing man,  that  I  know.  And  ye're  always  offering  me 
help!  Ye're  always  sayin'  what  ye  can  do  for  me!" 
She  paused  and  there  came  some  of  the  old  defiance  into 
her  face.  "Joe,  ye  can  have  no  idea. of  the  feelinVthat 
have  got  hold  of  me'  just  now.  I'm  ready  to  do  something 
desperate ;  ye'd  best  be  leavin'  me  alone,  Joe !  " 


186  KING  COAL 

"I  think.  I.  understand,  Mary.  I  would  hardly  blame 
you  for  anything  you  did." 

.She  took  up  his.  words  eagerly..  "Wouldn't  ye,  Joe  ? 
Ye're  sure?  Then  what  I  want  is  to  got  the  truth  from 
ye.  I  want  ye  to  talk  it  out  fair !  " 

"  All  right,  Mary.     What  is  it  2  " 

But  her  defiance  had  vanished  suddenly.  Her  eyes 
dropped,  an$  he  saw  her  fingers  picking  nervously  at  a 
fold  of  her  dress.  "About  us,  Joe,"  she  said.  "I've 
thought  sometimes  ye  cared  for  me.  I've  thought  ye  liked 
to  be  with  me  —  not  just  because  ,ye  were  sprry  for  me, 
but  because  of  me.  I've  not  been  sure,,  but  I  can't  help; 
thinkin'  it's  so.  Is  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  he  said,  a  little  uncertainly.  "  I  do  care 
for  you." 

"  Then  is  it  that  ye  don't  care  for  that  other  girl  all  the 
time?" 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  it's  not  that." 

"  Ye  can  cane  for  two  girls  at  the  same  time  ?  " 

He  did  not  know  what  to  say.  "It  would  seem  that 
I  can,  Mary." 

She  raised  her  eyes  again  and  studied  his  face.  "Ye 
told  me  about  that  other  girl,  and  I  been  wonder  in',  was 
it  only  to  put  me  oft'  ?  Maybe  it's  me  own  fault, .  out  I 
can't  make  meself  believe  in  that  other  girl,  Joe !  " 

"  You're  mistaken,  Mary,"  he  answered,  quickly. 
"  What  I  told  you  was  true." 

"  Well,  maybe  so,"  she  said,  but  there  was  no  conviction 
in  her  tone.  "Ye  come  away  from  her,  and  ye  never 
go  where  she  is  or  see  her  —  it's  hard  to  believe,  ye'd 
do  that  way  if  ye  were  very  close  to  her.  I  just  don't 
think  ye  love  her  as  much  as  ye  might.  And  ye  say  you 
do  care  some  for  me.  So  I've  thought  —  I've  won- 
dered — "  '  .  . 

She  stopped,  forcing  herself  to  meet  his  gaze :     "  I  been: 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL        -     187 

tryin'  to  work  it  out !  I  know  ye're  too  good  a  man  for 
me,  Joe.  Ye  come  from  a  better  place  in  life,  ye've  a 
right  to  expect  more  in  a  woman — " 

"It's  not  that,  Mary!  " 

But  she  cut  him  -short.  "  I  know  that's  true !  Ye're 
only  try  in'  to  save  my  feelin's.  I  know  ye're  better  than 
me !  I've  tried  hard  to  hold  me  head  up,  I've  tried  a  long 
time  not  to  let  meself  go  to  .pieces.  I've  even  tried  to  keep 
cheerful,  telling  meself  I'd  not  want  to  be  like  Mrs.  Zam- 
boni,  forever  cornplainm'.  But  'tis  no  use  tellin'  yourself, 
lies!  I  been  up  to  the  church,  and  heard  the  Reverend 
Spragg  tell  the  people  that  the  rich  and  poor  are  the  same 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  And.  maybe  'tis  so,  but  I'm  not 
the  Lord,  and  I'll  never  pretend  I'm,  not  ashamed  to  be 
livin'  in  a  place  like  this.?' 

"  I'm  sure  the  Lord  has  no  interest  in  keeping  you 
here  — "  he  began. 

But  she  broke  in,  "  What  makes  it  so  hard  to  bear  is 
knowin'  there's  so  many  wonderful  things  in  the  world, 
and  ye  can  never  have  them !  Tis  as  if  ye  had  to  see  them 
through  a  pane  of  glass,  like  in  the  window  of  a  store. 
Just  think,  Joe  Smith  —  once,  in  a  church  in  Sheridan,  I 
heard  a  lady  sing  beautiful  music;  once  in  my  whole  life- 
time !  Can  ye  guess  what  it  meant  to  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Mary,  I  can." 

"  But  I  had  that  all  out  with  meself  —  years  ago.  I 
knew  the  price  a  work  in'  girl  has  to  pay  for  such  things, 
and  I  said,  I'll  not  let  meself  think  about  them.  I've 
hated  this  place,  I've  wanted  to  get  away  —  but  there's 
only  one  way  to  go,  to  let  some  man  take  ye!  So  I've 
stayed ;  I've  kept  straight,  Joe.  I  want  ye  to  believe 
that." 

"  Of  course,  Mary !  " 

"  No !  It's  not  been  !<  of  course  ' !  It  means  ye  have  to 
fight  with  temptations.  It's  many  a  time  I've  looked  at 


188  KING  COAL 

Jeff  Cotton,'  and  thought  about  the  things  I  need !  And 
I've  done  without!  But  now  comes  the  thing  a  woman 
wants  more  than  all  the  other  things  in  the  world !  " 

She  paused,  but  only  for  a  moment.  •  "  They  tell  ye  to 
love  a  man  of  your  own  class.  Me  old  mother  said  that  to 
me,  before1  she  died.  But  suppose  ye  didn't  happen  to? 
Suppose  ye'd  stopped  and  thought  what  it  meant,  bavin' 
one  baby  after  another,  till  ye're  worn  out  and  drop  — 
like  me  old  mother  did?  Suppose  ye  knew  good  manners 
when  ye  see  them  —  ye  knew  interestin'  talk  when  ye 
heard  it !  "  She  clasped  her  hands  suddenly  before  her, 
exclaiming,  "  Ah,  'tis  something  different  ye  are,  Joe  — 
so  different  from  anything  around  here!  The.  way  ye 
talk,  the  way  ye  move,  the  gay  look  in  your  eyes!  No 
miner  ever  had  that  happy  look,  Joe ;  me  heart  stops  beat  in' 
almost  when  ye  look  at  me!  "  She  stopped  with  a  sharp 
catching  of  her  breath,  and  he  saw  that  she  was  struggling 
for  self-control.  After  a  moment  she  exclaimed,  de- 
fiantly: "But  they'd  tell  ye,  be  careful,  ye  daren't  love 
that  kind  of  man ;  ye'd  only  have  your  heart  broken !  " 

There  was  silence.  For  this  problem  the  amateur  so- 
ciologist had  no  solution  at  hand  —  whether' for  the  ab- 
stract question,  or  for  its  concrete  application! 


§31.  Mary  forced  herself  to  go  on.  "This  is  how 
I've'  worked  it  out,  Joe !  I  said  to  meself,  '  Ye  love  this 
man;  and  it's  his -love  ye  want  —  nothin'  else!  If  he's 
got  a  place  in  the  world,  ye'd  only  hold  him  back  —  and 
ye'd  not  want  to  do  that.  Ye  don't'  want  his  name,  or  his 
friends,  or  any  of  those  things  —  ye  want  him!'  Have 
ye  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  that  ? " 

Her  cheeks  were  flaming,  but  she  continued  to  meet  his 
gaze.  "  Yes,  I've  heard  of  it,"  he  answered,  in  a  low 
voice. 

"  What  would  ve  say  to  it  ?     Is  it  honest  ?     The  Rev- 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  189 

erend  Spragg  would  say  'twas  the  devil,  no  doubt ;  Father 
O'Gorman,  down  in  Pedro,  would  call  it  mortal  sin ;  and 
maybe  they  know  —  but  I  don't !  I  only  know  I  can't 
stand  it  any  more !  " 

Tears  sprang  to  her  :Cyes,  and  she  cried  out  suddenly, 
'"  Oh,  take  me  away  from  here !  Take  me  away  and  give 
me  a  chance,  Joe !  I'll  ask  nothing,  I'll  never  stand  in 
your  way;  I'll  work  for  ye,  I'll  cook  and  wash  and  do 
everything  for  ye,  I'll  wear  my  fingers  to  the  bone !  Or 
I'll  go  out  and  work  at  some  job,  and  earn  my  share.  And 
I'll  make  ye  this  promise  —  if  ever  ye  get  tired  and  want 
to  leave  rne?  ye'll  not  hear  a  word  of  complaint !  " 

She  made  no  conscious  appeal  to  his  senses;  she  sat 
gazing  at  him  honestly  through  her  tears,  and  that  made 
it  all  the  harder  to  answer  her. 

What  could  he  say?  He  felt  the  old  dangerous  im- 
pulse—  to  take,  the  girl  in  his  arms  and  comfort  her. 
When  finally  he  spoke  it  was  with  an  effort  to  keep  his 
voice  calm.  "I'd. say  yes;  Mary,  if  I  thought  it  would 
work."' 

."  It  would  work!  It  would,  Joe!  .  Ye  can  quit  \yhen 
ye  want  to.  I  mean  it !  " 

"  There's  no  woman  lives  who  can  be  happy  on  such 
terms,  Mary.  She  wants  her  man,  and  she  wants  him  to 
herself,  and  she  wants  him  always;  she's  only  deluding 
herself  if  she  believes  anything  else.  You're  over-wrought 
now,  what  you've  seen  in,  the  last  few  days  has  made  you 
wild  — " 

"No!"  she  exclaimed.  "  'Tis  not  only  that!  I  been 
thinkin'  about  it  for  wreeks." 

"  I  know.  You've  been  thinking,  but  you  wouldn't 
have  spoken  if  it  hadn't  been  for  this  horror."  He  paused 
for  a  moment,  to  renew  his  own  self-possession.  "-It 
won't  do,  Mary,"  he  declared.  "  I've  seen  it  tried  more 
than  once,  and  I'm  not  so  old  either.  My  own  brother 
*ied  it  once,  and  ruined  himself." 


190  KING  COAL 

"Ah,  ye're  afraid  to  trust  me,  Joe!  " 

"  No,  it's  not  that ;  what  I  mean  is  —  he  ruined  his  own 
heart,  he  made  himself  selfish.  He  took  everything,  and 
gave  nothing.  He's  much  older  than  I,  so  I've  had  a 
chance  to  see  its  effect  on  him.  He's  cold,  he  has  no  faith, 
even  in  his  own  nature ;  when  you  talk  to  him  about  mak- 
ing the  World  better  he  tells  you  you're  a  fool." 

"  It's  another  way  of  bein'  afraid  of  me,"  she  insisted. 
"  Afraid  you'd  ought  to  marry  me !  " 

"  But,  Mary  —  there's  the  other  girl.  I  really  love  her, 
and  I'm  promised  to  her.  WThat  can  I  do?  " 

"  ?Tis  that  I've  never  believed  you  loved  her,"  she  said, 
in  a  whisper.  Her  eyes  fell  and  she  began  picking  nerv- 
ously again  at  the  faded  blue  dress,  which  was  smutted 
and  grease-stained,  perhaps  from  her  recent  effort  with 
Mrs.  Zamboni's  brood.  Several  times  Hal  thought  she 
was  going  to  speak,  but  she  shut  her  lips  tightly  again; 
he  watched  her,  his  heart  aching. 

When  finally  she  spoke,  it  was  still  in  a  whisper,  and 
there  was  a  note  of  humility  he  had  never  heard  from  her 
before.  "  Ye' 11  not  be  wantin'  to  speak  to  me,  Joe,  after 
what  I've  said." 

"Oh,  'Mary!"  he  exclaimed,  and  caught  her  hand, 
"  don't  say  I've  made  you  more  unhappy !  I  want  to  help 
you !  Won't  you  let  me  be  your  friend  —  your  real,  true 
friend?  Let  me  help  you  to  get.  out  of  this  trap;  you'll 
have  a  chance  to  look  aboui,  you'll  find  a  way  to  be  happy 
-  the  whole  world  will  seem  different  to  you  then,  and 
you'll  laugh  at  the  idea  that  you  ever  wanted  me !  " 


§  32.  The  two  of  them  went  back  to  the  pit-mouth, 
had  been' two  days  since  the  disaster,  and  still  the  fan  had 
not  been  started,  and  there  was  no  sign  of  its  being  started. 
The  hysteria  of  the  women  was  growing,  and  there  was  a 
tension  in  the  crowds.  Jeff  Cotton  had  brought  in  a  force 


THE  SE:KFS  OF  KING  COAL  191 

'  of  men  to  assist  him  in  keeping  order.     They  had  built 
'a  fence  of  barbed  wire  about  the  pit-mouth  and  its  ap- 
proaches, and  behind  this  wire  they  walked  —  hard-look- 
ing citizens  'with  policemen's  "billies,"  and  the  bulge  of 
revolvers  plainly  visible  on  their  hips. 

During  this. Jong  period  of  waiting,  Hal  had  talks  with 

'members  of  his,  check-weighman  group.     They  told  what 

'  had  happened  while  he  was  in  jail,  and  this  reminded  him 

/of  something  which,  had  been  driven  from  his  mind  by  the 

'  explosion.     Poor  old  John  Edstrom  was  down  in  Pedro, 

!  perhaps  in  dire  need.     Hal  went  to  the  old,  Swede's  cabin 

that  night,  climbed  through  a  window,  and,  dug  up  the 

buried  money.     There  were  five  five-dollar  bills,  and  he 

.put  them  jn  an  envelope,  addressed  them  in  care  of  General 

Delivery,  'Pedro,  and  had  Mary  Burke  take  them  to  the 

post  office  and  register  them. 

The  hours 'dragged  on,  and  still  there  was  no  sign  of 
the  pit-mouth  being  opened.  There  began  to  be  secret 
gatherings,  of  the  miners  and  their  wives  to  complain  at 
'the  conduct  of  the  company ;  and  it  was  natural  that  Hal's 
friends  who  had  started  the  check-weighman  movement, 
should  take  the  lead  in  these.  They  were  among  the  most 
"intelligent  of  the  workers,  and  saw  farther  into  the  mean- 
ing of  events.  They  thought,  not  merely  of  the  men  who 
were  trapped  under  ground  at  this  moment,  but  of  thou- 
sands of  otjiers  who  would  be  trapped  through  years  to 
come.  Hal,  especially,  was  pondering  how  he  could  ac- 
complish something  definite  before  he  left  the  camp*  for 
of  course  he  would  have  to  leave  soon  —  Jeff  Cotton  would 
remember  him,  and  carry  out  his  threat  to  get  rid  of  him. 
Newspapers  had  come  in,  with  accounts  of  the  disaster, 
and  Hal  and  his  friends  read  these.  It  was.  evident  that 
the  company  had  been  at  pains  to  have  the  accounts  writ- 
ten from  its  own  point  of  view.  There  existed  some  public 
sensitiveness  on  the  subject  of  mine-disasters  in  this  state. 
The  death-rate  from  accidents  was  seen  to  be  mounting 


192  KING  COAL 

steadily;  the  reports  of  the  state  mine  inspector  showed 
six  per  thousand  in  one  year,  eight  and  a  half  in  the  next, 
and  twenty-one  and  a  half  in  the  next.  When  fifty  or  a 
hundred  men  were  killed  in  a  single  accident,  and  when 
such  accidents  kept  happening,  one  on  the  heels  of  an- 
other, even  the  most  callous  public  could  not  help  asking 
questions.  So  in  this  case  the  "  G.  F.  C."  had  been  care- 
ful to  minimise  the  loss  of  life,  and  to  make  excuses.  The 
accident  had  been  owing  to  no  fault  of  the  company's ;  the 
mine  had  been  regularly  sprinkled,  both  with  water  and 
adobe  dust,  and  so  the  cause  of  the  explosion  must  have 
been  the  carelessness  of  the  men  in  handling  powder. 

In  Jack  David's  cabin  one  night  there  arose  a  discussion 
as  to  the  number  of  men  entombed  in  the  mine.  The  com- 
pany's estimate  of  the  number  was  forty,  but  Minetti  and 
Olson  and  David  agreed  that  this  was  absurd.  Any  man 
who  went  about  in  the  crowds  could  satisfy  himself  that 
there  were  two  or  three  times  as  many  unaccounted  for. 
And  this  falsification  was  deliberate,  for  the  company  had 
a  checking  system,  wThereby  it  knew  the  name  of  every  man 
in  the  mine.  But  most  of  these  names  were  unpronounce- 
able Slavish,  and  the  owners  of  the  names  had  no  friends 
to  mention  them  —  at  least  not  in  any  language  under- 
stood by  American  newspaper  editors. 

It  was  all  a  part  of  the  system,  declared.  Jack  David: 
its  purpose  and  effect  being  to  enable  the  company  to  go 
on  killing  men  without  paying  for  them,  either  in  money 
or  in  prestige.  It  occurred  to  Hal  that  it  might  be  worth 
while  to  .contradict  these  false  statements  —  almost  as 
worth  while  as  to  save  the  men  who  were  at  this  moment 
entombed.  Any  one  who  came  forward  to  make  such  a 
contradiction  would  of  course  be  giving  himself  up  to  the 
black-list;  but  then,  Hal  regarded  himself  as  a  man  al- 
ready condemned  to  that  penalty. 

Tom  Olson  spoke  up.  "  What  would  you  do  with  your 
contradiction  ?  " 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  193 

"Give  it  to  the  papers,"  Hal  answered. 

"  But  what  papers  would  print  it  ?  " 

"  There  are  two  rival  papers  in  Pedro,  aren't  there  ?  " 

"  One  owned  by  'Alt'  Raymond,  the  sheriff-emperor,  and 
the  other  by  Vagleman,  counsel  for  the  *  G.  F.  CV  Which 
one  would  you  try  ?  " 

"Well  then,  the  outside  papers  —  those  in  Western 
City.  There  are  reporters  here  now,  and  some  one  of 
them  would  surely  take  it." 

Olson  answered,  declaring  that  they  would  not  get  any 
but  labour  and  Socialist  papers  to  print  such  news.  But 
even  that  was  well  worth  doing.  And  Jack  David,  who 
was  strong  for  unions  and  dll  their  activities,  put  in,  "  The 
thing  to  do  is  to  take  a  regular  census,  so  as  to  know  exactly 
how  many  are  in  the  mine." 

The  suggestion  struck  fire,  and  they  agreed  to  set  to 
work  that  same  evening.  It  would  be  a  relief  to  do  some- 
thing, to  have  something  in  their  minds  but  despair.  They 
passed  the  word  to  Mary  Burke,  to  Rovetta,  Klowoski, 
and  others;  and  at  eleven  o'clock  the  next  morning,  they 
met  again,  and  the: lists  were  put  together,  and  it  was  found 
that  no  less  thai!  a  hundred  and  seven  men  and  boys  were 
positively  known  to  be  inside  Nunibef  One. 


§  33.  As1  it  happened/ however,  discussion  of  this  list 
and  the  method  of  giving  it  to  the  world  was  cut  short 
by  a  more  urgent  matter.  Jack  David  came  in  with  news 
of  fresh  trouble  at  the  pit-mouth.  The  new  fan  was  being 
piit  in  place ;  but  they  were  slow  about  it,  so  slow  that  some 
people  had  become  convinced  that  they  did  not  mean  to 
start  the  fan  at  all,  but  were  keeping  the  mine  sealed  to 
prevent  the  fire  from  spreading.  A  group  of  such  mal- 
contents had  presumed  to  go  to  Mr.  Carmichael,  the  deputy 
state  mine-inspector,  to  urge  him  to  take  -some  action ;  and 
the  leader  of  these  protestants,  Huszar,  the  Austrian,  who 


194:  KING  COAL 

had  been  one  of  Hal's  check-weighman  group,  -had  been 
taken  into  custody  and  marched  at.  double-quick  to  the 
gate  of  the  stockade! 

Jack  David  declared  furthermore  that  he  knew  a  car- 
penter who  was  working  in  the, fan-house,  and  who  said 
that  no  haste  whatever  was  being  made.  -All  the  men  at 
the  fan-house  shared  that  opinion;  the  mine, was  sealed, 
and  would  stay  pealed  until  the  company  was  sure  ithe  fire  . 
was  out. 

"But,"  argued  Hal,  "  if  .they  were  to  open  it,  the  fire 
would  spread;  and  wouldn't  that  prevent  rescue  work.?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  declared  "'Big  Jack."  He  explained, that 
by  reversing  the  fan  they  could  draw  the  smoke  up  through 
the  air-course,  which  would  clear  the  main  passages  for  a 
time.  "  But,  you  see,  some  coal  might  catch  fire,  and  some 
timbers ;  there  might  be  falls  of  rock  sq  they  couldn't  work 
some  of  the  rooms  again." 

"  How  long  will  they  keep  the  mine  sealed  ?  "  cried  Hal, 
in  consternation. 

"  No.body  can  say.  In  a  big  mine  like  that,  a  fire  might 
smoulder  for  a  week." 

"Everybody  be  dead!"  cried  Rosa  Miuetti,  wringing 
her  hands  in  a  sudden  access  of  grief. 

Hal  turned  to  Olson.  "  Would  they  possibly  do  such  a 
thing?" 

"  It's  been  done  —  more  than  once,"  was  the  organiser's 
reply. 

"  Did  you  never  hear  about  Cherry,  Illinois  ?"  asked 
David.     "  They  did  it  -there,,  and  more  ;than  three  hundred 
people  lost  their  lives."     He  went  on  to  tell  that  dreadful 
story,  known  to  every  coal-miner.     They  had  sealed, the 
mine,  while  women  fainted  and  men  tore  their  clothes  .in, 
frenzy  —  some  going  insane.     They  had  kept  it  sealed., 
for  two  weeks,  and  when  they  opened  it,  there  were  twenty- . 
one  men  still  alive ! 

"  They  did  the  same  thing  in  Diamondville,  Wyoming," 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  195 

added  Olson.  "  They  built  up  a  barrier,  and  when  they 
took  it  away  they  found  a  heap  of  dead  men,  who  had 
crawled  to  it  and  torn  their  finders  to  the  bone  trying  to 
break  through." 

"  My  God!  "  cried  Hal,  springing  to  his  feet.  "And 
this  man  Carmichael  —  would  he  stand  for  that  ?  " 

"  He'd  tell  you  they  were  doing  their  best/'  said  "  Big 
Jack."  "  And  maybe  he  thinks  they  are.  But  you'll  see 
—  something'll  keep  happening;  they'll  drag  on  from  day 
to  day,  and  they'll  not  start  the  fan  till  they're  ready." 

"  Why,  it's  murder !  "  cried  Hal 

"  It's  business/'  said  Tom  Olson,  quietly. 

Hal  looked  from  one  to  another  of  the  faces  of  these 
working  people.  Not  one  but  had  friends  in  that  trap; 
not  one  but  might  be  in  the  same  trap  to-morrow ! 

"  You  have  to  stand  it !  "  he  exclaimed,  half  to  himself. 

"  Don't  you  see  the  guards  at  the  pit-mouth  ?  "  answered 
David.  "Don't  you  see  the  guns  sticking  out  of  their 
pockets  ?  " 

"  They  bring  in  more  guards  this  morning/'  put  in 
Jerry  Minetti.  "  Rosa,  she  see  them  get  off." 

"They  know  what  they  doinM  "  said  Rosa.  "They 
only  fraid  we  find  it  out !  They  told  Mrs.  Zamboni  she 
keep  away  .or  they  send  her  out  of , camp.  And  old  Mrs. 
Jonotch  —  her  husband  and  three  sons  inside !  " 

"  They're  getting  rougher  and  rougher/'  declared  Mrs. 
David.  "  That  big  fellow  they  call  Pete,  that  came  up 
from  Pedro  — -  the  way  he's  handling  the  women  is  a 
shame !  " 

"  I  know  him,"  put  in  Olson ;  "  Pete  Hanun.  They 
had  him  in  Sheridan  when  the  union  first  opened  he,ad- 
quarters.  He  smashed  one  of  our  organisers  in  the  mouth 
and  broke  four  of  his  teeth.  They  say  he  has  a  jail- 
record." 

All  through  the  previous  year  at  college  Hal  had  lis- 
tened to  lectures  upon  political  economy,  filled  with  the 


196  KING  COAL 

praises  of  a  thing  called  "  Private  Ownership."  This 
Private  Ownership  developed  initiative  and  economy;  it 
kept  the  wheels  of  industry  a-roll,  it  kept  fat  the  pay-rolls 
of  college  faculties ;  it  accorded  itself  with  the  sacred  laws 
of  supply  and  demand,  it  was  the  basis. of  the  progress  and 
prosperity  wherewith  America  had  been  blessed.  And 
here  suddenly  Hal  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the 
reality  of  it ;  he  saw  its  Wolfish  eyes  glaring  into  his  own, 
he  felt  its  smoking  hot  breath  in  his  face,  he  saw  its  gleam- 
ing fangs  and  cl^w-like  fingers,  dripping  with  the  blood 
of  men  and  women  and  children.  Private  Ownership  of 
coal-mines !  Private  Ownership  of  sealed-up  entrances 
and  non-existent  escape-ways  !  Private  Ownership  of  fans 
which  did  not  start,  of  sprinklers  which  did  not  sprinkle. 
Private  Ownership  of  clubs  and  revolvers,  and  of  thugs 
and  ex-convicts  to  use  them,  driving  away  rescuers  and 
shutting  up  agonised  widows  and  orphans  in  their  homes ! 
Oh,  the  serene  and  well-fed  priests  of  Private  Ownership, 
chanting  in  academic  halls  the  praises  of  the  bloody 
Demon ! 

Suddenly  Hal  stopped  still.  Something  had  risen  in 
him,  the  existence  of  which  he  had  never  suspected.  Therv 
was  a  n,ew  look  upon  his  face,  his  voice  was  deep  as  a 
strong  man's  when  he  spoke:  "  I  am  going  to  make  them 
open  that  mine!  " 

They  looked  at  him.  They  were  all  of  them  close  to  the 
border  of  hysteria,  but  they  caught  the  strange  note  in  his 
utterance.  "  I  am  going  to  make  them  open  that  mine !  " 

"  How  ?  "  asked  Olson. 

"  The  public  doesn't  know  about  this  thing.  If  the 
story  got  out,  there'd  be  such  a  clamour,  it  wouldn't  go  on  !  " 

"  But  how  will  'you  get  it  out  ?  " 

•"I'll  give  it  to  the  newspapers !  They  can't  suppress 
such  a  thing  —  I  don't  care  how  prejudiced  they  are!  " 

"  But  do  you  think  they'd  believe  what  a  miner's  buddy 
tells  them  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  David. 


THE  SERFS  OF  KIXG  COAL  197 

"I'll  find  a  way  to  make  them  believe  me,"  said  Hal. 
"  I'm  £01112,'  to  make  them  open  that  name!'" 


§  34.  In  the  course  of  his  wanderings  about  the  camp, 
Hal  had  observed  several  wide-awake  looking  young  men 
with  notebooks  in  their  hands.  He  could  see  that  these 
young  men  Were  being  made  guests  of  the  company,  chat- 
ting with  the  bosses  upon  friendly  terms ;  nevertheless,  he 
believed  that  among  them  he  might  'find  one  who  had  a  con- 
science —  or  at  any  rate  who  would  yield  to  the  tempta- 
tion of  a  "scoop."  So,  leaving  the  gathering  at  Mrs. 
David's,  Hal  went  to  the  pit-mouth,  watching  out  for  one 
of  these  reporters ;  when  he  found  him,  he  followed  him  for 
a  while,  desiring  to  get  him  where  no  company  "  spotter  " 
might  interfere.  At  the  first  chance,  he  stepped  up,  and 
politely  a£ked  the  reporter  to  come  into  a  side  street,  where • 
they  might  converse  undisturbed. 

The  reporter  obeyed  the' request ;  and  Hal,  concealing 
the  intensity  of  his  feelings,  so  as  not  to  repel  the 'other, 
let  it  be  knowrn  that  he  had  worked  in  North  Valley  for 
some  months,  and  could  tell  much  about  Conditions' in  the 
camp.  There  Was  the  matter  of  adobe-dust;  for  example. 
Explosions  in  dry  mines  .could  be  presented  by  spraying 
the  walls  with  this' material.  .Did  the  reporter  happen  to 
know  that  the  company's' claim' to  have  used  itr  was  en- 
tirely false  ? 

No,  the  reporter  answered,  he  did  not  know  this.  He 
seemed  interested,  and  asked  Hal's  name  and  occupation. 
Hal  told  him  "  Joe  Smith,"  a  "buddy,"  who  had  recently 
been  chosen  as  check-weighman.  .  The  reporter,  a  lean  and 
keen-faced  yoiing  man, Basked  many  questions- — intelli- 
gent questions;  incidentally  he  mentioned  that  he  was  the 
local  correspondent  of  the  great  press  association  whose 
stories  of  the  disaster  were  sent  to  every  cortier  of  the" 
country.  This  seemed  to  Hal  an  extraordinary  piece  of 

14 


198  KING  COAL 

good  fortune,  and  lie  proceeded  to  tell  this  Mr.  Graham 
about  the  census  which  some  of  the  workers  had  taken; 
they  were  able  to  give  the  names  of  a  hundred  and  seven 
men  and  boys  who  were  inside  the  mine.  The  list  was  at 
Mr.  Graham's  disposal  if  he  cared  to  see  it.  Mr.  Graham 
seemed  more  interested  than  ever,  and  made  notes  in  his 
book. 

Another  thing,  more  important  yet,  Hal  continued;  the 
matter  of  the  delay  in  getting  the  fan  started.  It  had  been 
three  days  since  the  explosion,  but  there  had  been  no  at- 
tempt at  entering  the  mine.  Had  Mr.  Graham  seen  the 
disturbance  at  the  pit-mouth  that  morning  ?  Did  he  real- 
ise that  a  man  had  been  thrown  out  of  camp  merely  because 
he  had  appealed  to  the  deputy  state  mine-inspector  ?  Hal 
told  what  so  many  had  come  to,  believe  —  that  the  company 
was  saving  property  at  the  expense  of  life.  He  went  on 
to  point  out  the  human  meaning  of  this  —  he,  told  about 
old  Mrs.  Rafferty,  with  her  failing  health  and  her  eight 
children ;  about  Mrs.  Zamboni,  with  eleven  children ;  about 
Mrs.  Jonotch,  with  a  husband  and  three  sons  in  the  mine. 
Led  on  by  the  reporter's  interest,  Hal  began  to  show  some 
of  his  feeling.  These  were  human  beings,  not  animals; 
they  loved  and  suffered,  even  though  they  were  poor  and 
humble ! 

"  Most  certainly!  "  said  Mr.  Graham.  "  You're  right, 
and  you  may  rest  assured  I'll  look  into  this." 

"  There's  one  thing  more/'  said  Hal.  "  If  my  name  is 
mentioned,  I'll  be  fired,  you  know." 

"  I  won't  mention  it,"  said  the  other. 
.  "  Of  course,  if  you  can't  publish  the  story  without  giv- 
ing its  source  • — " 

"  I'm  the  source,"  said  the  reporter,  with  a  smile. 
"  Your  name  would  not  add  anything." 

He  spoke  with  quiet  assurance;  he  seemed  to  know  so 
completely  both  the  situation  and  his  own  duty  in  regard 


THE  SERFS  OF  KING  COAL  199 

to  it,  that  Hal  felt  a  thrill  of  triumph:  It  was  as  if  a 
strong,  wind  had  come  blowing  from  the  outside  world, 
dispelling  the  miasma  which  hung  over  this  coal-camp. 
Yes, -this  reporter  WCL&  the  outside  world!  He  was  the 
power  of  public  opinion,  making  itself  felt  im  this  place 
of  knavery  and  fear !  He  was  the  voice  of  truth,  the 
courage  and  rectitude  of  a  great  organisation  of  publicity, 
independent  of  secret  influences,  lifted  above  corruption! 
"I'm  indebted  to  you,1'  said  Mr.  Graham,  at  the  end, 
and -Hal's  sense  of  victory  : was  complete.  What  an  ex- 
traordinary chance  - —  that  he  should  have  run  into  the 
agent  of  the  great  press  association !  ;  The  story  would  go 
out  to  the  great  world  of  industry,  which  depended  upon 
coal  as  its  life-blood.  The  men  in  the  factories,  the  wheels 
of  which  were  turned  by  coal  - — the  travellers  on  trains 
which  were  j  moved  by  coal  —  they  would  hear  at  last  of 
the  sufferings  of 'those  who  toiled  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
for  them  I  Even  the  ladies,  reclining  upon  the  decks  .of 
palatial  steamships  in  gleaming  tropic  seas  —  so  marvel- 
lous was  the  power  of  modern  news-spreading  agencies, 
that  these  ladies  too  might  hear  the  cry  for  help  of  these 
toilers,  and  df  their  wives  and  little  ones!  And  from  this 
great  world  would  come  an  answer,  a  universal  shout  of 
horror,  of  execration,  .that,  would  force  even  old  Peter 
Harrigan  to  give  way !  So  Hal  mused  —  for  he  was 
young,  and  this  was  his  first  crusade. 

He  was  so  happy  that  he  was  able. to  think  of  himself 
again,  and  to  realise  that  he  had  not  eaten  that  day.  It 
was  noon-ntime,  and  he  went  into  Reminitsky's,  and  was 
about  half  through  with  the  first  course  of  Reminitsky's 
two-course  banquet,  when  his  cruel  disillusioning  fell  upon 
him! 

•! He.  looked  up  and  saw  Jeff  Cotton  striding  into., the 
dining-room,  making  straight  for  him.  There  was  blood 
in  the  marshal's  eye,  and  Hal  saw  it,  and  rose,  instinctively. 


200  KING  COAL 

"•Come!  "  said  Cotton,  and  took  him  by  the  coat-sleeve 
and  marched  him  out;  almost  before  the  rest  of  the  diners 
had  time 'to  catch  their  breath. 

Hal  had  no  opportunity  now  to  display  his  "  tea-party 
manners  "  to  the  camp-marshal.  As  they  Walked,  Cotton 
expressed  his  opinion  of  him,  thaft'  he  was  a  skunk,  a  puppy, 
a  person  of  undesirable  ancestry;  and  when  Hal  endeav- 
oured to  ask  a  question  —  which  'he  did  quite  genuinely, 
not  grasping  at  once  the  meaning  of  what  Was  happening 
—  the  marshal  bade  him  "  shut  his  face,"  and  emphasised 
the  command  by  a!  twist  at  his  coat-collar.  At  the  same 
time  two  of  the  huskiest  mine-guards,  who'  had  been  wait- 
ing at  the  dining-room  door,  took  him,  one  by  each  arm, 
and  assisted  his  progress. 

They  went  down  the  street  and  past  Jeff  Cotton's  office, 
not  stopping  this  time.  Their  destination  was  the  rail- 
road-station, and  when  Hal  got  there,  he  saw  a  train  stand- 
ing. The  three  men  m'arched  him  to  it,  not  releasing  him 
till  they  had  jammed  him  down  into  a  seat. 

"  Now,  young  fellow,"  said  Cotton,  "we'll  see  who's 
running  this  camp !  " 

By  this  time  Hal  had  regained  a  part  of  his  self-pos- 
session. '"  Do  I  need  a  ticket  ?  "  he  asked. 

"I'll  see  toi  that,"  said  the  marshal. 
And  do  I  get  my  things  ?  " 

"  You  save  some  questions  for  your  college  professors," 
snapped  the  marshal. 

So  Hal  waited;  and  a  minute  or  two  later  a  man  ar- 
rived bn  the  run  with  his  scanty  belongings,  rolled  into  a 
bundle  and  tied  with  a  piece<of  twine.  Hal  noted  that 'this 
man1  was  big  and  ugly,  and  was  addressed  by  the  camp- 
marshal  as  "  Pete." 

The  conductor  shouted,  "  All  aboard !  "  And  at  the 
same  time  Jeff  Cotton  leaned  over  towards  Hal  and  spoke 
in  a  menacing  whisper:  "  Take  this  from  me,  young  fel- 


THE  SERFS  OF  KIISTG  COAL  201 

low;  don't  stop  in  Pedro,  move  on  in  a  hurry,  or  some- 
thing will  happen  to  you  on  a  dark  night." 

After  which  he  strode  down  the  aisle,  and  jumped  off 
the  moving  train.  But  Hal  noticed  that  Pete  Hanun,  the 
breaker  of  teeth,  stayed  on  the  car  a  few  seats  behind  him. 


BOOK  THREE 
THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL 


§  1.  It  was  Hal's  intention  to  get  to  Western  City  as 
quickly  as  possible  to  call  upon  the  newspaper  editors.. 
But  first  lie  must  have  money  to  .travel,  and  the  best  way 
he  could  think  of  to  get  it;  was  to  find  John  Edstrom.  He 
left  the  train,  followed  by  Pete  Hanun;  after  some  in- 
quiry, he  came  upon  the  undertaker  who  had  buried  Ed- 
strom's  wife,  and  who  told  him  where  the  old  Swede  was 
staying,  in  the  home  of  a  labouring-man  nearby. 

Edstrom  greeted  him  with  eager  questions:  Who  had 
been  killed?  What  was  the  situation ?•  Hal  told  in  brief 
sentences  what  had  happened.,  When  he  mentioned  his 
i}eed  of  money,  Edstrom  answered  that  he  had  a  little,  and 
would  lend  it,  but  it  was  not  enough  for  a  ticket  to  Western 
City.  Hal  asked  about  the  twenty-five  dollarsiwhich  Mary 
Burke  had  sent  by  registered  mail ;  the  old  man  had  heard 
nothing  about  it,  he  had  not  been  to  the  post-office.  "  Let's 
go  now !"  said  Hal,  at  once •$ .  but  as  they  were  starting 
downstairs,  a  fresh  difficulty  occurred  to  him,  Pete 
Hanun  was  on  the  street  outside,  and  it  was  likely  that  he 
had  heard  about  this  money  from  Jeff  Cotton ;  he  might 
hold  Edstrom  up  and  take  it  away. 

"Let  me  suggest  something,''  put  in  the  .old  man. 
"  Come  and  see  my  friend  Ed  MacKellar.  He  may  be 
able  to  give  us  some  advice —  even  to  think  of  .some  way 
to  get  the  mine  ope,n."  Edstrom  explained  that  MacKel- 
lar, an  old  Scotchman,  had  been  a  miner,  Inut  was  now 
crippled,  and  held  some  petty  office  in  Pedro.  He  was  a 
persistent  opponent  of  "  Alf "  Raymond's  machine,  and 
they  had  almost  killed, him  on  one  occasion.  His  home 
was  not  far  away,  and  it  would  take  little  time  to  consult 

him. 

205 


206  KING  COAL 

"  All  right,"  said  Hal,  and  they  set  out  at  once.  Pete 
Hanun  followed  them,  not  more  than  a  dozen  yards  behind, 
but  did  not  interfere,  and  they  turned  in  at  the  gate  of  a 
little  cottage.  A  woman  opened  the  door  for  them,  and 
asked  them  into  the  dining-room  where  MacKellar  was 
sitting  -1—  a  grey-haired  old  man,  twisted  up  with  rheuma- 
tism and  obliged  to  go  about  on  crutches. 

Hal  told  his  story.  As  the  Scotchman  had  been  brought 
up  in  the  mines,  it  was  not  necessary  to  go  into  details 
about  the  situation.  When  Hal  told  his  idea  of  appealing 
to  the  newspapers,  the  other  responded  at  once,  "-You 
won't  have  to  go  to  Western  City.  There's  a  man  right 
here  who'll  do  the  business  for  you;  Keating,  of  the 
Gazette" 

"The  Western  City  Gazette?"  exclaimed  Hal.  He 
knew  this  paper;  an  evening  journal  selling  for  a  cent,  and 
read  by  working-men.  Persons  of  culture  who  referred  to 
it  disposed  of  it  with  the  adjective  "yellow." 

"I  know,"  said  MacKellar,  noting' Hal's  tone.  "But 
it's  the  only  paper  that  will  publish  your  story  anyway." 

"  Where  is  this  Keating?  " 

"  He's  been  up  at  the  mine.  It's  too  bad  you  didn't 
meet  him." 

"  Can  we  get  hold  of  him  now  ?  " 

"  He  might  be  in  Pedro.     Try  the  American  Hotel." 

Hal  went  to  the  telephone,  and  in  a  minute  was  hearing 
for  the  first  time  the  cheery  voice  .of  his  friend  and  lieu- 
tenant-to-be, "Billy"  Keating.  .In  a  couple  of  minutes 
more  the  owner  of  the  voice  was  at  MacKellar's  door, 
wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  half-bald  forehead.  He 
was  round-faced,  like  a  full  moon,  and  as  jolly  as  Falstaff ; 
when  you-  got  to  know  him  better,  you  discovered  that  he 
was  loyal  as  a  Newfoundland  dog.  For  all  his  bulk, 
Keating  was  a  newspaper  man,  every  inch  of  him  "  on  the 
job." 

He  started  to  question  the  young  miner  as  soon  as  he 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        207 

was  introduced,  and  it  quickly  became  clear  to  Hal  that 
here  was  the  man  he  was  looking  for.  Keating  knew  ex- 
actly what  questions  to  ask,  and  had  the  whole  story  in 
a  few  minutes.  "  By  thunder !"  he  cried.  "My  last 
edition !  "  And  he  pulled  out  his  watch,  and  sprang  to 
the  telephone.  "  Long  distance/'  he  called ;  then,  "  1  want 
the  city  editor  of  the  Western  City  Gazette.  And,  oper- 
ator, please  see  if  you  can't  rush  it  through.  It's  very 
urgent,  and  last  time  I  had  to  wait  nearly  half  an  hour." 

He  turned  hack  to  Hal,  and  proceeded  to  ask  more  ques- 
tions, at  the  same  time  pulling  a  bunch  of  copy-paper  from 
his  pocket  and  making  notes*  He  got-  all  Hal's  statements 
about  the  lack  of  sprinkling,  the  absence  of  escape-ways, 
the  delay  in  starting  the.  fan,  the  concealing  of  the  number 
of  men  in  the  mine<  "  I  knew  things  were  crooked  up 
there!"  he  exclaimed.  "But  I  couldn't  get  a  lead! 
They  kept  a  man  with  me  every  minute  of  the  time.  You 
know  a  fellow  named  Predovich  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  said  Hal.  •"  The  company  store-clerk;  he  once 
went  through  my  pockets." 

Keating  made  a  face  of  disgust.  "  Well,  he  was  my 
chaperon.  Imagine  trying  to  get  the  miners  to  talk  to 
you  with  that  sneak  at  your  heels !  I  said  to  the  superin- 
tendent, '  I  don't  need  anybody  to  escort  me  around  your 
place.'  And  he  looked  at  me  with  a  nasty  little  smile. 
'  We  wouldn't  want  anything  to  happen  to  you  while  you're 
in  this  camp,  Mr.  Keating.'  i  You  don't  consider  it  neces- 
sary to  protect  the  lives  of  the  other  reporters,'  I  said. 
'No,'  said  he;  i  but  the  Gazette  has  made  a  great  many 
enemies,  'you  know.'  '  Drop  your  fooling,  Mr.  Cart- 
wright,'  I  said.  ''You  propose  to  have  me  shadowed  while 
I'm  .working  on  this  assignment  ? '  '  You  can  put  it  that 
way,'  he  answered,  '  if  you  think  it'll  please  the  readers 
of  the  -Gazette:  ' 

"  Too  bad  we  didn't  meet!  "  said  Hal.  "Or  if  you'd 
ran  into  any  of  our  check-weighman  crowd!  " 


208  KING  COAL 

"Oh!  You  know  about  that  checkyweighman  busi- 
ness !"  exclaimed  the  reporter.  "I  got  a  hint  of  it  — 
that's  how  1  happened  to  be  down  here  to-day.  I  heard 
there  was  a  man  named  Edstrom,  who'd  been  shut  out 
for  making  trouble ;  and  I  thought  if  I  could  find  him,  I 
might  get  a  lead.'7 

Hal  and  MacKellar  looked  at  the  old  Swede,  and  the 
three  of  them  began  to  laugh.  "  Here's  your  man !  "  said 
MacKellar. 

"•And  here's  your  checkiweighman ! "  added  Edstrom, 
pointing  to  Hal. 

Instantly  the  reporter  was  on  his  job  again ;  he  began 
to  fire  another  series  of  questions.  He  would  use  that 
check-weighman  story  as  a  "follow-up  "for  the  next  day, 
to  keep  the  subject  of  North  V»alley  alive.  The  story  had 
a  direct  bearing  on  the  disaster,  because  it  showed  what 
the  North  Valley  bosses  were  doing  when  they  should  have 
been  looking  after  the  safety  of  their  mine.  "  I'll  write 
it  out  this  afternoon  and  send  it  by  mail/'  said  Keating; 
he  added,  with  a  smile,  "  That's  one  advantage  of  handling 
news  the  other  papers  won't  touch  —  you  don't  have  to 
worry  about  losing  your  'scoops'!  " 


•§  2.  Keating  went  to  the  telephone  again,  to  worry 
"  long  distance  ";  then,  grumbling  about  his  last  edition, 
he -came  back  to  ask  more  questions  about  Hal's  experi- 
ences. Before  long  he  drew  out  the'  story  of  the  young 
man's  first  effort  in  the  publicity  game;  at  which  he  sank 
back  in  : his  chair,  and  laughed  until  he  shook,  as  the 
nursery-rhyme  describes  it,  "  like  a  bowlful  of  jelly." 

''Graham!"  he  exclaimed.  "Fancy,  MacKellar,  he 
took  that  story  to;  Graham !  " 

The  Scotchman  seemed  to  find  it  equally  funny ;  to- 
gether they 'explained  that  Graham  was  the  political  re- 
porter of  the  Eagle,  the  paper  in  Pedro  which  was  owned 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        209 

by  the  Sheriff-emperor.  One  might  call  him  Alf  Ray- 
mond's journalistic  jackal;  there  was  no  job  too  dirty  for 
him. 

"  But,"  cried  Hal,  "  he  told  me  he  was  correspondent 
for,  the  Western  press  association!" 

"  He's  that,  too,"  replied  Billy. 

"  But  does  the  press  association  employ  spies  for  the 
<  G.  F.  C.'  ?  " 

The  reporter  answered,  drily,  "  When  you  understand 
the  news  game  better,  you'll  realise  that  the  one  thing  the 
press  association  cares  about  in  a  correspondent  is  that  he 
should  have  respect  for  property.  If  respect  for  prop- 
erty is  the  back-bone  of  his  being,  he  can  learn  what  news 
is,  and  the  right  way  to  handle  it." 

Keating  turned  to  the  Scotchman.  "  Do  you  happen 
to  have  a  typewriter  in  the  house,  Mr.  MacKellar '?  " 

"  An  old  one,"  said  the  other  — "  lame,  like  myself." 

"  I'll  make  out  with  it.  I'd  ask  this  young  man  over  to 
my  hotel,  but  I,  think  he'd  better  keep  on0  the  streets  as 
much  as  possible." 

"  You're  right.  If  you  take  my  advice, "you'll  take  the 
typewriter  upstairs,  where  there's  no  chance  of  a  shot 
through  the  window." 

"  Great  heavens!  "  exclaimed  Hal.  "  Is  this  America, 
or  mediaeval  Italy  ?  " 

"  It's  the  Empire  of  Raymond,"  replied  MacKellar. 
"  They  shot  my  friend  Tom  Burton,  dead  while  he  stood 
on  the  steps  of  his  home.  He  was  opposing  the  machine, 
and  had  evidence  about  ballot-frauds  he  was  going  to*  put 
before  the  Grand  Jury." 

While  Keating  continued  to  fret  with  ".long  distance," 
the  old  Scotchman  went  on  trying  to  impress  upon  Hal  the 
danger  of  his  position.  Quite  recently  an  organiser  of  the 
miners'  union  had  been  beaten  up  in  broad  day-light  and 
left  insensible  on  the  sidewalk;  MacKellar  had  watched 
the  trial  and  acquittal  of  the  two  thugs  who  had  committed 


210  KING  COAL 

this  crime —  the  foreman  of  the  jury  being  a  saloon-keeper, 
one  of  Raymond's  heelers,  and  the  other  jurymen  being 
Mexicans,  unable  to  comprehend  a  word  of  the  court  pro- 
ceedings. 

"  Exactly  such  a  jury  as  Jeff  Cotton  promised  me !  " 
remarked  Hal,  with  a  feeble  attempt  at  a  smile. 

".Yes,"  answered  the  other;  "  and  don't  make  any 'mis- 
take about  it,  if  they  want  to  put  you  away,  they  can  do  it. 
They  run  the  whole  machine  here.  I  know  how  it  is,  for 
I  had  a  political  job  myself,  until  they  found  they  couldn't 
use  me." 

The  old  Scotchman  went  on  to  explain  that  he  had  been 
elected  justice  of  peace,  and  had  tried  to  break  up  the 
business  of  policemen  taking  money  from  the  women  of  the 
town;  he  had  been  forced  to  resign,  and  his  enemies  had 
made  his  life  a  torment.  Recently  he  had  been  candidate 
for  district  judge  on  the  Progressive  ticket,  and  told  of  his 
efforts  to  carry  on.  a  campaign  in  the  coal-carnps  —  how  his 
circulars  had  been  confiscated,  his  posters  torn  down,  his 
supporters  "  kangarooed."  It  was  exactly  as  Alec  Stone, 
the  pit-boss,  had  explained  to  Hal.  In  some  of 'the  camps 
the  meeting-halls  belonged  to  the  company ;  in  others  they 
belonged  to  saloon-keepers  whose  credit  depended  upon 
Alf  Raymond.  In  the  few  places  where  there  were  halls 
that  could  be  hired,  the  machine  had  gone  to  the  extreme 
of  sending  in  rival  entertainments,  furnishing  free  music 
and  free  beer  in  order  to  keep  the  crowds  away  from 
MacKellar. 

All  this  time  Billy  Keating  had  been  chafing  and  scold- 
ing at  "  long  distance."  Now  at  last  he  managed  to  get 
his  call,  and  silence  fell  in  the  room.  "  Hello,  Pr ingle, 
that  you  ?  This  is  Keating.  Got  a  big  story  on  the  North 
Valley  disaster.  Last  edition  put  to  bed  yet?  Put  Jim 
on  the  wire.  .Hello,  Jim!  Got  your  book  ?"  And  then 
Billy,  evidently  talking  to  a  stenographer,  began  to  tell 
'the  story  he  had  got  from  Hal.  Now  and  then  he  would 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KIN®  COAL        211 

stop  to  repeat  or  spell  a  word ;  once  or  twice  Hal  corrected 
him  on  details.  JSo,  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  they 
put  the  job  through;  and  Keating  turned  to  Hal. 

"  There  you  are,  son/7  said  he.  "  Your  story'll  be  on 
the  street  in  Western  City  in  a  little  over  an  hour;  it'll  be 
down  here  as  soon  thereafter  as  they  can  get  telephone  con- 
nections. Arid  take  my  advice,  if  you  want  to  keep  a 
whole  skin,  you'll  be  out  of  Pedro  when  that  happens  !  " 


§  3.  When  Hal  spoke,  he  did  not  answer  Billy  Keat- 
ing's  last  remark.  He  had  been  listening  to  a  retelling  of 
the  North  Valley  disaster  over  the  telephone ;  so  he  was  not 
thinking  about  his  skin,  but  about  a  hundred  and  seven 
men  and  boys  buried  inside  a  mine. 

".Mr. .  Keating,"  said  he,  "are  you  sure  the  Gazette 
will  print  that  story  ?  " 

"Good  Lord!"  exclaimed  the  other.  "What  am  I 
here  for  2  " 

"  Well,  I've  been  disappointed  once,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  but  you  got  into  the  wrong  camp.  We're  a  poor 
'man's  paper,  and  this  is  what  we  live  on." 

"  There's  no  chance  of  its  being  '  toned  down  '  \  " 

"  Not  the  slightest,  I  assure  you." 

"  There's  no  chance  of  Peter  Harrigan's  suppressing 
it?" 

"  Peter  Harrigan  made  his  attempts  on  the  Gazette  long 
ago,  my  boy." 

:     "  Well,",  said  Hal,'"  and  now  tell  me  this  —  will  it  do 
the  work  ?  " 

"  In  what  way  ?  " 

"  I  mean  —  in  making  them  open  the  mine." 

Keating'  considered  for  a  moment,  ."  I'm  afraid  it  won't 
do  much." 

Hal  looked  at  him  blankly.  He  had  taken  it  for  granted 
that  the  publication  of  the  facts  would  force  the  company 


212  .          KING  COAL 

to  move.  But  Keating  explained  that  the  Gazette  was 
read  mainly  by-,  working-people,  and  so  had  comparatively 
little  influence,.  "We're -an  afternoon  paper,"  he  said ; 
"  and  when  people  have  been  reading  lies  all  morning,  it's 
not  easy  to  ma,ke  them  believe  the  truth  in  the  afternoon/' 

"  But  won't  the  story  go  to  other  papers  —  over  the 
,  country,  ,1  mean  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  have  a  press  service;  but  the  papers  are  all 
like  the  Gazette  —  poor  man's  papers.  If  there's  some- 
thing very  raw,  and  we  keep  pounding  away  for  a  long 
time,  we  can  make  an  impression;  at  least  we  limit,  the 
amount  of  news  the  Western  press  association  can  sup- 
press. But  when  it  comes  to  a  small  matter  like  sealing 
up  workingmen  in  a  mine,  all  we  can  do  is  to  worry  the 
'  G.  F.  C.'  a  little."  . 

So-  Hal  was  just  where  he  had  begun!  "  I  must  find 
some  other  plan,"  he  exclaimed. 

^  I  don't  see  what  you  can  do,??  replied  'the  other. 

There  was  a  pause,  while  the  young  miner  pondered. 
"  I. had  thought  of  going  up  to  Western  City  and  appealing 
to  the  editors,"  he  said,  a  little  uncertainly. 

"  Well,  I  can  tell  y6u  about  that  —  you  might  as  well 
save  your  car-fare.  They  <  wouldn't  touch  your  story." 

"  And  if  I  appealed  to  the  Governor  ?' " 

"  In  the  first  place,  he  probably  wouldn't -see  you.  And 
if  he  did,  he  wouldn't  do  anything.  He's  not  really  the 
Governor,  you  know ;  he's  &  puppet  putaip  there  to  fool 
you.  He  only  moves  when  Harrigan  pulls  a  string." 

"  Of  course  I  knew  he  was  Old  Peter's  man,"  said  Hal. 
"  But  then " —  and  he  concluded,  somewhat  lamely, 
"  What  can  I  do  ?  " 

A  smile  of  pity  came  upon  the  reporter's  face.  "  I  can 
see  this  is  the  first  time  you've  been  up  against  'big  busi- 
ness/ "  And  then  he  added,  "  You're  young !  When 
you've  had  more  experience,  you'll  leave  these  •  problems 
to  older  heads !  "  But  Hal  failed  to  get  the  reporter's 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       213 

sarcasm.  lie  had  heard  these  exact  words  in  such  deadly 
seriousness  from  his  brother !  Besides,  he  had  just  come 
from  scenes  of  horror. 

"  But  don't  you  see,  Mr.  Keating  ? "  he  exclaimed. 
"  It's  impossible  for  me  to  sit  still  while  those  men  die  2  " 

"  I  don't  know  about  your,  sitting  still,"  said  the  other. 
"  All  I  know  is  that  all  your  moving  about  isn't  going  to 
do  them  any  good." 

Hal  turned  to  Edstrom  and  MacKellar.  "  Gentlemen/' 
he  said,  "  listen  to  rne  for  a  minute."  And  there  wras  a 
note  of  pleading  in  his  voice  —  as  if  he  thought  they  .were 
deliberately  refusing  to  help  him !  "  We've  got  to  do  some- 
thing about  this.  We've  got  to  do  something!  I'm  new 
at  the  game,  as  Mr.  Keating  feays;  but  you  aren't.  Put 
your  minds  on  it,  gentlemen,  and  help  me  work  out  a 
plan!" 

There  was  a  long  silence.  "  God  knows,"  said  Edstromj 
at  last.  "  I'd  suggest  something  if  I  could." 

"  And  I,  too/'  said  MacKellar.  "  You're  up  against  a 
stone-wall,  my  boy;  The  government  here  is  simply  a 
department  of  the  i  G.  F.  C.'  The  officials  are  crooks  — 
company  servants,  all  of  them." 

"  Just  a  moment  now,"  said  Hal.  "  Let's  consider. 
Suppose  we  had  a  real  government  —  what  steps'  would  we 
take?  We'd  carry  such  a  case  to  the  District  Attorney, 
wouldn't  we  ?  " 

"  Yes,  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  MacKellar. 

"  You  mentioned  him  before,"  said  Hal.  "  He  threat- 
ened to  prosecute  some  mine-superintendents  for  ballot- 
frauds,  you  said." 

"  That  was  while  he  was  running  for  election,"  said 
MacKellar. 

"Oh!"  I  remember  what  Jeff  Cotton  said— -  that  he 
was  friendly  to  the  miners  in  his  speeches,  and  to  the 
companies  in  his  acts." 

"  That's  the  man;"  said  the  other,  drily. 


15 


214  KING  COAL 

"  Well,"  argued  Hal,  "  oughtn't  I  go  to  him,  to  give  him 
a  chance,  at  least  £  You  can't  tell/  he  might  have  a  heart 
inside  him." 

It  isn't  a  heart  he  needs/'  replied  MacKellar;  "  it's 
a  hack-bone." 

"  But  surely  I  ought  to  put  it  up  to  him !  If  he  won't 
do  anything,  at  least  I'll  pu't  him  on  record,  and  it'll  make 
another  story  for  you,  won't  it,  Mr.  Keating  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  true,"  admitted  the  reporter.  "  What 
would  you  ask  him  to  do? "_ 

"Why,  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  Grand  Jury;  to 
bring  indictments  against  the  North  Valley  bosses." 

"  But  that  would  take  a  long  time ;  it  wouldn't  save  the 
men  in  the  mine." 

"  What  might  save  them  would  be  the  threat  of  it." 

MacKellar  put  in.  "  I  don't  think  any  threat  of  Dick 
Parker's  would  count  for  that  much.  The  bosses  know 
they  could  stop  him." 

"  Well,  isn't  there  somebody  else  ?  Shouldn't  I  try  the 
courts  ?  " 

"  What  courts  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.     You  tell  me." 

"Well,"  said  the  Scotchman,  "to  begin  at  the  bottom, 
there's  a  justice  of  the  peace." 

"Who's  he?" 

"Jim  Anderson,  a  horse-doctor.  He's  like  any  other 
J.  P.. you  ever  knew  —  he  lives  on  petty  graft." 

"  Is  there  a  higher' court  ?  " 

"  Yres,  the  district  court ;  Judge  Denton.  He's  the  law- 
partner  of  Vagleman,  .counsel  for  the.'G.  F.  C.'  How 
far  wrould  you  expect  to  get  with  him  ?  " 

,"  I  suppo&e  I'm  clutching  at  straws,"  said  Hal. ,  "  But 
they  say  that's  what  a  drowning  man  does.  Anyway,  I'm 
going  to  see  these  people,  and  maybe  out  of  the  lot  of  then! 
I  can  find  one  who'll  act.  It  can't  do  any  harm !  " 

The  three ^men  thought  of  some  harm  it  might  do ;  they 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       215 

tried  to  make  Hal  consider  the  danger  of  being  slugged 
or  shot.  "  They'll  do  it !  "  exclaimed  MacKellar.  "  And 
no  trouble  for  them  —  they'll  prove  you  were  stabbed  by  a 
drunken  Dago,  quarrelling  over  some  woman.77 

But  Hal  had  got  his  head  set;  he  believed  he  could  put 
this  job  through  before  his  enemies  had  time  to  lay  any 
plans.  Nor  would  he  let  any  of  his  friends  accompany 
him ;  he  had  something  more  important  for  both  Edstrom 
and  Keating  to  do  —  and  as  for  MacKellar,  he  could  not 
get  about  rapidly  enough.  Hal  bade  Edstrom  go  to  the 
post-office  and  get  the  registered  letter,  and  proceed  at 
once  to  change  the  bills.  It  was  his  plan  to  make' out  affi- 
davits, and  if  the  officials  here  would*  not  act,  to  take  the 
affidavits  to  the  Governor.  And  for  this  he  would  need 
money.  Meantime,  he  said,  let  Billy  Keating  write  out 
the  check-weighman  story,  and  in  a  couple  of  hours  meet 
him  at  the  American  Hotel,  to  get  copies  of  the  affidavits 
for  the  Gazette. 

Hal  was  still  wreaTing  the  miner's  clothes  he  had  worn 
on  the  night  of  his  arrest  in  Edstrom's  cabin.  But  he 
declined  MacKellar's  offer  to  lend  him  a  business-suit; 
the  old  Scotchman's  clothes  wrould  not  fit  him,  he  knew, 
and  it  would  be  better  to  make  his  appeal  as  a  real  miner 
than  as  a  misfit  gentleman. 

These  matters  being  settled,  Hal  went  out  upon  the 
street,  'where  Pete  Hanun,  the  breaker  of  teeth,  fell  in 
behind  him.  The  young  miner  at  once  broke  into  a  run, 
and  the  other  followed  suit,  and  so  the  two  of  them  sped 
down  the  street,  to  the  wonder  of  people  on  the  way.  As 
Hal  had  had  practice  as  a  sprinter,  no  doubt  Pete  was  glad 
that  the  District  Attorney's  office  was  not  far-away! 


§  4.  Mr.  Richard  Parker  was  busy,  said  the  clerk  in 
the  outer  office ;  for  which  Hal  was  not  sorry,  as  it  gave 
him  a  chance  to  get  his  breath.  Seeing  a  young  man 


216  KING  COAL 

flushed  and  panting,  the  clerk  stared  with  .curiosity;  but 
TIal  offered  no  explanation,  and  the  breaker  of  teeth  waited 
on  the  street  outside. 

Mr.  Parker  received  his  caller  in  a  couple  of  minutes. 
He  was  a  well-fed  gentleman  with  generous  neck  and  chin, 
freshly  shaved  and  rubbed  with  talcum  powder.  His 
clothing  was  handsome,  his  linen  immaculate;  one  got  the 
impression  of  a  person  who  "  did  himself  well."  There 
were  papers  on  his  desk,  and  he  looked  preoccupied. 

'"  Well  ?  "  said  he,  with  a  swift  glance  at  the  young 
miner. 

"  I  understand  that  I  am  speaking  to  the  District  At- 
torney of  Pedro  County  ?  " 

"  That's  right." 

'"  Mr.' Parker,  have  you  given  any  attention  to  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  North  Valley  disaster?  " 

"No,"  said  Mr.  Parker.     "Why?" 

"  I  have  just  come  from  North '  Valley, .  and  I  .can  give 
you  information- which  may  be  of  interest  to  you.  There 
are  a  hundred  and  seven  people  entombed  in  the  mine,  and 
the  company  officials  have  sealed  it,  and  are  sacrificing 
those  lives.'7 

The  other  put  down  the  correspondence,  and  made  an 
examination  of  his  caller  from  under  his  heavy,  eyelids. 
"  How  do  you  know  this  ?  " 

."I  left  there  only  a  few  hours  ago.     The  facts  are 
known  to  all  the  workers  in  the  camp." 

"  You  are  speaking  from  what  you  heard  ? " 

"  I  am  speaking  from  what  I  know  at, first  hand.  I  saw 
the  disaster,  I  saw  the  pit-mouth  boarded  over  and  covered 
with  canvas.  I  know  a  man  who  was  driyen  out  of  camp 
this  morning  for  complaining  about  the  delay  in  starting 
the  fan.  It  has  been  over  three  days  since  the  explosion, 
and  still  nothing  has  been  done." 

Mr.  Parker  proceeded  to  fire  a  series  of  questions,  in 
the  sharp,  suspicious^  manner  customary :  to .  prosecuting 


THE  HEXCiniEX  OF  KING  COAL        217 

officials.  But  Hal  did  not  mind  that;  it  was  the  man's 
business  to  make  sure. 

Presently  he  demanded  to  know  how  he  could  get  cor- 
roboration  of  Hal's  statements. 

"  You'll  have  to  go  up  there/7  was  the  reply,    i 

"You  say  the  facts  are  known  to  the  men?  Give  me 
the  names  of  some  'of  them." 

'"  I  have  no  authority  to  give  their  names,  Mr.  Parker." 

"What  authority  do  you  need?  They  will  tell  me, 
won't  they  ?  " 

"  They  may,  and  they  may  not.  One  man  has  already 
lost  his  job;  not  every  man  cares  to  lose  his  job." 

"  You  expect  me  to  go  up  there  on  your  bare  say-so  ?  " 

"  I  offer  you  more  than  my  say-so.  I  offer  an  affi- 
davit." 

"  But  what  do  I  know  about  you  ?  " 

"  You  know  that  I  worked  in  North  Valley  —  or  you 
can  verify  the  fact  by  using  the  telephone.  My  name  is 
Joe  Smith,  and  I  was  a  miner's  helper  in.  lumber  Two." 

But  that  was  not  sufficient,  said  Mr.  Parker;  his  time 
was  valuable,  and  before  he  took  a  trip  to. North  Valley 
he  must  have  the  names  of  witnesses  ""who  would  corroborate 
these  statements. 

"  I 'Offer  you  an  affidavit!"  exclaimed  Hal.  "I  say 
that  I  have  knowledge  that  a  crime  is  being  committed  — 
that  a  hundred  and  seven  human/lives  arc  being  sacrificed. 
You  don't  consider  that  a  sufficient  reason  for  even  making 
inquiry?  " 

The  District  Attorney  answered  again  that  he  desired 
to  do  his  duty,  he  desired  to1  protect  the -workers  in  their 
rights;  but  he  could  riot  afford  to  go  off  on  a  "  wild  goose 
chase,"  he  must  have  the  names  of  witnesses.  And  Hal 
found  himself  wondering.  Was'  the  man  merely  taking 
the  first  pretext  for  doing  nothing?  Or  could  it  be  that 
an  official  of  the  state  would  go  as  far  as  to  help  the  com- 
pany by  listing  the  names  of  "  trouble-makers  "  ? 


218  KING  COAL 

In  spite  of  his  distrust,  Hal  was  resolved  to  give  the 
man  every  chance  he  could.  He  we.iit  over  the  whole  story 
of  the*  disaster.  -He  took  'Mr.  Parker  up  to  the  camp, 
showed  him  the  agonised  women  and  terrified  children 
crowding  about  the  pit-mouth,  driven  back  with  clubs  and 
revolvers.  He  named  family  after,  family,  widows  and 
mothers  and  orphans.  He  told  of  the  miners  clamouring 
for  a  chance  to  risk  their  lives  to  save  their  fellows.  He 
let  his  own  feelings  sweep  him  along;  he  pleaded  with 
fervour  for  his  suffering  friends. 

"  Young  man/'  said  the  other,  breaking  in  upon  his 
eloquence,  "  how  long  have  you  been  working  in  North 
Valley?" 

"  About  ten  weeks." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  working  in  coal-mines  ?  " 

"  That  was  my  first  experience." 

"  And  you  think  that  in  ten  weeks  you  have  learned 
enough  to  entitle  you  to  bring  a  charge  of  k  murder  '  against 
men  who  have  spent  their  lives  in  learning  the  business  of 
mining  ?  " 

"  As  I  have  told  you,"  exclaimed  Hal,  "  it's  not  merely 
my  opinion;  it's  the  opinion  of  the  oldest  and  most  ex^ 
perienced  of  the  miners.  I  tell  you  no  effort  whatever  is 
being  made  to  save  those  men !  The  bosses  care  nothing 
about  their  men !  One  of  them,  Alec  Stone,  was  heard  by 
a  crowd  of  people  to  say,  '  Damn  the  men !  Save  the 
mules ! '  " 

"  Everybody  up  there  is  excited,"  declared  the  other. 
"Nobody  can  think  straight  at  present  — you  can't  think 
straight  yourself.  If  the  mine's  on  fire,  and  if  the  fire 
is  spreading  to  such  an  extent  that  it  can't  be  put  out  — " 

"  But,  Mr.  Parker,  how  can  you  say  that  it's  spreading 
to  such  an  extent  ?  " 

"  Well,  how  can  you  say  that  it  isn't  ?  " 

There  was  a  pause.     "  I  understand  there's  a  deputy 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        219 


mine-inspector  up  there,"  said  the  District  Attorney,  sud- 
denly. u  What's  his  name  'I  f 

"  Carmichael,"  said  Hal. 

"  Well,  and  what  does  he  say  about  it  ?  " 

"  It  was  for  appealing  to  him  that  the  miner,  Huszar, 
was  turned  out  of  camp." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Parker  —  and  there  came  a  note  into 
his  voice  by  which  Hal  knew  that  he  had, found  the  excuse 
he  sought — "  Well,  it's  CarmichaePs  business,  and  I  have 
no  right  to  butt  in  on  it.  If  he  comes  to  me  and  asks  for 
indictments,  I'll  act  —  but  not;  otherwise.  That's  all  I 
have  to  say  about  it.;" 

And  Hal  rose.  "  Very  well,  Mr.  Parker,"  said  he.  "  I 
have  put  the  facts  before  you.  I  was  told  you  wouldn't 
do  anything,  but  I  wante$  to  give  you  a  chance.  Now  I'm 
going  to  ask  the  Governor  for  your  removal !  "  And  with 
these  words  the  young  miner  strode  out  of  the  office. 


.§  5.  Hal  went  down  the  street  to  the  American  Hotel, 
where  there  was  a  public  stenographer.  When  this  young 
woman  discovered  the  nature  of  the  material  he.  proposed 
to  dictate,  her  fingers  trembled  visibly;  but  she  did  not  re- 
fuse the  task,  and-  Hal  proceeded  to  set  forth  the  circum- 
stances of'  the  sealing  of  the  pit-mouth  of  Number  One 
Mine  at  North  Valley,  and  to  pray  for  warrants  for  the 
arrest  of  Enos  Cartwright  and  Alec  Stone.  Then  he  gave 
an  account  of  how  he  had  been  selected  as  check- weighm  an 
and  been  refused  access  to  the  scales ;  and  with  all  the  legal 
phraseology  he  could  rake  up,  he  prayed  for  .the  arrest  of 
Enos  Cartwright  and  James  Peters,  superintendent  and 
tipple-boss  at  North  Valley,  for  these  offences.  In  another 
affidavit  he  narrated  how  Jeff  Cotton,  camp-marshal,  had 
seized  him  at  night,  mistreated  him,  and  shut  him  in  prison 
for  thirty-six  hours  without  warrant  or  charge ;  also  how 


220  KING  COAL 

Cotton,  Pete  Hanun,  and  two1  other  parties  by  name  tin- 
known,  had  illegally  driven  him  from  the  town  of  North 
Valley,  threatening  him  with  violence ;  for  which  he 
prayed  the  arrest  of  Jeff  Cotton,  Pete  Hanun,  and  the 
two  parties  unknown. 

Before  this  task  was  finished,  Billy  Keating  came  in, 
bringing1  the  twenty-five  dollars  which  Edstrom  had  got 
from  the  post-office.  They  found  a  notary  public,  before 
whom  Hal  made  oath  to  each  document;  and  when  these 
had  been  duly  inscribed  and  stamped  with  the  seal  of  the 
state,  he  gave  carbon  copies  to  Keating,  who  hurried  off 
to  catch  a  mail-train  which  was  just  due.  Billy. would  not 
trust  such  things  to  the  local  post-office;  for  Pedro  was  the 
hell  of  a  town,  he  declared.  As  they  went  out  oil  the 
street  again 'they  noticed  that  their  body-guard  had  been 
increased  by  another  husky-looking  personage,  who  made 
no  attempt  to  conceal  what  he  was  doing. 

Hal  went  around  the  corner  to  an  office  bearing  the 
legend,  "  J»  W.  Anderson,  Justice  of  the  Peace." 

Jim  Anderson,,  the  horse-doctor,  sat  at  his  desk  within. 
He  had  evidently  chewed  tobacco  before  he  assumed  the 
ermine,  and  his  reddish^coloured  moustache  still  showed 
the  stains.  Hal  observed  such  details,  trying  to  weigh  his 
chances  of  success.  He  presented  the  affidavit  describing 
his  treatment  in  North  Valley,  and  sat  waiting  while  His 
Honour  read  it  through  with  painful  slowness. 

"  Well,"  said  the  ni^n,  at  last,  "  what  do  you  want  ?  " 
1 "  I*  want  a  warrant  for  Jeff  Cotton's  arrest." 

The  other  studied  him  for  a  minute.  "  No,  young  fel- 
low," said  he.  "  You  can't  get  no  such  warrant  here." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

'"  Because  Cotton's  a  deputy-sheriff;  he  had  a  right  to 
arrest  you." 

"  To  arrest  me  without  a  warrant?  " 

"  How  do  you  know  he  didn't  have  a  warrant  ?  " 

"  He  admitted  to  me  that  he  didn't." 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       221 

"Well,  whether  he  had  a  warrant  or  not,  it  was  his 
business  to  keep  order  in  the  camp." 

IC  You  mean  he  can  do  anything  he  pleases  in  the 
camp  ?  " 

"  What  I  mean  is,  it  ain't  my  business  .to  interfere. 
Why  didn't  you  see  Si  Adams,  up  to  the  camp  ?  " 

»"  They  didn't  give  me  any  chance  to  see  him." 
"  Well,"  replied  the  other,  "  there's  nothing  I  can  do 
for  you.  You  can  see  that  for  .yourself.  What  kind  of 
discipline  could  they  keep  in  them  eamps^if  any  fellow  that 
had  a  kick  could  come  down  here  and  have  the  marshal 
arrested  ?  "  ( 

"  Then  a  camp-marshal  can  act  without  regard  to  the 
law?" 

".I  didn't  ;say  that." 

"  Suppose  he  had  committed  murder  —  would  you  give 
a  warrant  for  that  ?  " 

P"  Yes,  of  course,  if  it  was  murder." 
"  And  if  you  knew  that  he  was  in  the  act  of  committing 
murder  in  a  coal-camp  —  would  you  try  to  stop  him  \  " 

"  Yes,  of  course." 

"  Then  here's  another  affidavit,"  said  Hal ;  and  he  pro- 
duced the  one  about  the  sealing  of  the  mine.  There  was 
silence  while  Justice  Anderson  read  it  through. 

But  again  he  shook  his  head.  "  No,  you  can't  get  no 
such  warrants  here." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  it  ain't  my  business  to  run  a  coal-mine.  I 
don't  understand  it,  and  I'd  make  a  fool  of  myself  if  I 
tried  to  tell  them  people  how  to  run  their  business." 

Hal  argued  with  him.  Could  company  officials  in 
charge  of  a  coal-mine  commit  any  sort  of  outrage  upon 
their  employes,  and  call  it  running  their  business  ?  Their 
control  of  the  mine  in  such  an  emergency  as  this  meant 
the  power  of  life  and  death  over  a  hundred  and  seven  men 
and  boys;  could  it  be  that  the  law  had  nothing  to  say  in 


222  KING  COAL 

such  a  situation  ?  But  Mr.  Anderson  only  shook  his  head ; 
it  was  not  his  business  to  interfere.  HaLmight  go  up  to 
the  court-house  and  see  Judge  Denton  about  it.  So  Hal 
gathered,  up  his  affidavits  and  went  out  to  the  street  again 
-where  there-were  now  three  husky-looking  peonages 
waiting  to  escort  him. 


«§  6.  The  district  court  was  ^in  session  and  Hal  sat  for 
a  while  in  the  court-room,  watching  Judge  Denton.  Here 
was  another  prosperous  and  well-fed  appearing  gentleman, 
with  a  rubicund  visage  shining  over  the  top  of  hiisy;bliick 
silk  robe.  The  young  miner  found  himself  regarding 
both  the  robe  and  the  visage  with  suspicion.  Could  it  be 
that  Hal  was  becoming  cynical,  and  losing  his  faith  in' his 
fellow  man?  What  he  thought  of,  in  connection  with  the 
Judge's  appearance,  was  that  there  was  a  living  to  be 
made  sitting  on  the  bench,  while  one's  partner  appeared 
before  the  bench  as  coal-company  counsel ! 

In  an  interval  of  the  proceedings,  Hal  spoke  to  the 
clerk,  and  was  told  that  he  might  see  the  judge  at  four- 
thirty;  but  a  few  minutes  later  Pete  Hanun  came  in  and 
whispered  to  this  clerk.  The  clerk  looked  at  Hal,  then 
he  went  up  and  whispered  to  the  J  udge.  At  four-thirty, 
when  the  court  was  declared  adjourned,  the  Judge  rose 
and  disappeared  into  his  private  office ;  and  when  Hal  ap- 
plied to  the  clerk;  the  latter  brought  out  the  message  that 
Judge  Denton  was  too  busy  to  see  him. 

But-  Hal  was  not  to  be  disposed  of  in  that  easy  fashion. 
There  was  a  side  door  to  the  court-room,  with  a  corridor 
beyond  it,  and  while  he  stood  arguing  with  the  clerk  he 
saw  the  rubicund  visage  of  the  Judge  flit  past. 

He  darted  in  pursuit.  He  did  not  shout  or  make  a 
disturbance ;  but  when  he  was  close  behind  his  victim,  he 
said,  quietly,  "  Juda:e  Denton,  I  appeal  to  you  for  jus- 
tice!" 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        223 

The  Judge  turned  and  looked  at  him,  his  countenance 
showing  annoyance.  "  What  do  you  want  3  " 

It  was  a  ticklish  moment,  for  Pete  Hanun  was  at  Hal's 
heels,  and  it  would  have  needed  no  more  than  a  nod  from 
the  Judge  to  cause  him  to  collar  Hal.  But  the  Judge, 
taken  by  surprise,  permitted  himself  to  parley  with  the 
young  miner ;  and  the  detective  hesitated,  and  finally  fell 
back  a  step  or  two. 

Hal  repeated  his  appeal.  "  Your  Honour,  there  are  a 
hundred  and  seven  men  and  boys  now  dying  up  at  the 
North  Valley  mine.  They  are  being  murdered,  and  I  am. 
trying  to  save  their  lives !  " 

"Young  man,"  said  the  Judge,  "  I  have  an  urgent  en- 
gagement down  the  street." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  Hal,  "  I  will  walk  with  you  and 
tell  you  as  you  go."  Nor  did  he -give -"His  Honour  "  a 
chance  to  say  whether  this  arrangement  was  pleasing  to 
him;  he  set  out  by  his  side,  with  Pete  Hanun  and  the 
other  two  men  some  ten  yarcls  in  the  rear. 

Hal  told  the  story  as  he  had  told  it  to  Mr.  Kichar'd 
Parker;  and  he  received  the  same  response.  Such -mat- 
ters were  not  easy  to  decide  about;  they  were  hardly  a 
Judge's  business.  There  was  a  state  official  on  the  ground, 
and  it  was  for  him  to  decide  if  there  was  violation  of 
law. 

Hal  repeated  his  statement  that  a  man  who  made  a  com- 
plaint to  this  official  had  been  thrown  out  of  camp.  "  And 
I  was  thrown  out  also,  your  Honour." 

"What  for?" 

"  Nobody  told  me  what  for." 

"  Tut,  tut,  young  man !  They  don't  throw  men  out 
without  telling  them  the  reason !  " 

"  But  they  do,  your  Honour !  Shortly  before  that  they 
locked  me  up  in  jail,  and  held  me  for  thirty-six  hours  with- 
out the  slightest  show  of  authority." 

"  You  must  have  been  doing  something !  " 


224  KING  COAL 

"What  I  had  done  was  to  be  chosen  by  a  committee  of 
miners  to  act  as  their  .check-weighman/'  - 

'*  Their  eheek-weighman  1".  . 

"  Yes,  your  Honour.  I  am  informed  there's  a  law  pro- 
Aiding  that  when  the  men  demand,  a  check-weighman,  and 
offer' to  pay  for. him,,  the  company  must  permit  him  to 
inspect  the  weights.  Is. that  correct?  " 

"  It  is,  I  believe." 

"  And  there's  a  penalty  for  refusing  ? " 

"  The  law  always  carries  a  penalty,  young  man." 

"  They  tell  me  that  law  has  been  on  the  statute-books 
for  fifteen  or  sixteen  years,  and  that  the  penalty  is  from 
twenty-five  to  five  hundred. dollars  fine.  It's  a  case  about 
which  there  can  be  no  dispute,  your  Honour  —  the  .miners 
notified  the  superintendent  that  they  desired  my  services, 
and  when  I  presented  myself  at  the  tipple,  I  was  refused 
access  to  the  scales;  then  I  was  seized  and  shut  up  in  jail, 
and  finally;. turned  out  of  the  camp.  I  have  made  affidavit 
to  these  facts,  and  I  think  I  Have  the  right  to  ask  for  war- 
rants for  the  guilty  men." 

"  Can  you  produce  witnesses  to  your  statements  ?  " 

"  I  can,  your  Honour.  One  of  the  committee  of  miners, 
John  Edstrom,  is. now  in  Pedro,  having  been  kept  out  of 
his  home,  which  he  had  rented  and  paid  for.  The  other, 
Mike  Sikoria,  was  also  thrown  out  of  camp.  There  are 
many  others  at  North  Valley  who  know  all  about  it." 

There  was  a  pause.  Judge  Denton  for  the  first  time 
took  a  good  look  at  the  young  miner, at  his  side;  and  then 
he  drew  his  brows  together  in  solemn  thought,  and  his 
voice  became  deep  and  impressive.  "  I  shall  take  this  mat- 
ter under  advisement.  What  is  your  name,  and  where  do 
you  live  ?  " 

"  Joe  Smith,,  your  Honour.  I'm  staying  at  Edward  Mac- 
Kellar's,  but  I  don't  know  how  long  I'll  be  able  to  stay  there. 
There  are  company  thugs  watching  the  place  all  the  time." 

"  That's  wild  talk !  "  said  the  Judge,  impatiently. 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        225 

"As  it  happens,"  said  Hal,  "  we  are  being  followed  by 
three  of  them  at  this  moment  —  one  of  them  the  same  Pete; 
Hanun  who  helped  to  drive  me  out  of  North  Valley.  If 
you  will  turn  your  head  you  will  see  them  behind  us." 

But  the  portly  Judge  did  not  turn  his  head. 

"I  have  been  informed/'  Hal  continued,  "  that  I  am 
taking  my  life  in  my  hands  by  my  present  course  of  action. 
I  believe  I'm  entitled  to  ask  for  protection." 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  ?  " 

"  To  begin  with,  I'd  like  you  to  cause  the  arrest  of  the 
men  who  are  shadowing  me." 

"  It's  not  my  business  to  cause  such  arrests.  You 
should  apply  to  a  policeman." 

"  I  don't  see  any  policeman.  Will  you  tell  me  where  to 
find  one  ? " 

His  Honour  was  growing  Weary  of  such  persistence. 
"  Young  man,  what's  the  matter  with  you  is  that  you've 
been  reading  dime  novels,  and  they've  got  on  your  nerves !  " 

"  But  the  men  are  right  behind  me,  your  Honour ! 
Look  at  them !  " 

"  I've  told  you  it's  not  my  business,  young  man !  " 

"But,  your  Honour,  befbre  I  can  find  a  policeman  I 
may  be  dead !  " 

The  other  appeared  to  be  untroubled  by  this  possi- 
bility. 

"  And,  your  Honour,  while  you  are  taking  these  mat- 
ters under  advisement,  the  men  in  the  mine  will  be  dead !  " 

Again  there  was  no  reply. 

"  I  have  some  affidavits  here,"  said  Hal.  "  Do  you 
wish  them  ?  " 

"  You  can  give  them  to  me  if  you  want  to,"  said  the 
other. 

"  You  don't  ask  me  for  them  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  yet." 

"  Then  just  one  more  question  —  if  you  will  pardon 
me,  your  Honour.  Can  you  tell  me  where  I  can  find  an 


226  <    KING  COAL 

honest  lawyer  in  this  town  -. —  a  man  who  might  be  willing 
to  take  a  case  against  the  interests  of  the  General  Euel 
Company  ?  " 

There  was  a  silence  —  a  long,/  long  silence.  Judge 
Denton,  of  the  firm  of  Denton  and  Vagleman,  stared 
straight  in  front  of  him  as  he  walked.  Whatever  compli- 
cated processes  might  have  been  going  on  inside  his  mind, , 
his  judicial  features  did  not  reveal  them.  "No,  young 
man,"  he  said  at  last,  "  it's  not  my  business  to  give  you 
information  about  .lawyers.'7  And  with  that  the  judge 
turned  on  his  Tieel  and  went  into  the  Elks'  Club. 


§  7.  Hal  stood  and  watched  the  portly  figure  until  it 
disappeared ;  then  he  turned  back  and  passed  the  three  de- 
tectives, who  stopped.  He  stared  at  them,  but  ,made;  no 
sign,  nor  did  they.  Some  twenty  feet  behind  him,  they 
fell  in  and  followed  as  before. 

Judge  Denton  had  suggested  consulting  a  policeman ; 
and  suddenly  Hal  noticed  that  he  was  passing  the  City 
Hall,  and  it  occurred  to  him  that  this  matter  of  his  being 
shadowed  might  properly  be  brought  to  the  attention  of 
the  mayor  of  Pedro.  He  wondered  what  the  chief  magis- 
trate of  such  a  "  hell  of  a  town  "  might  be  like;  after  due 
inquiry,  he  found  himself  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Ezra  Per- 
kins, a  mild-mannered  little  gentleman  who  had  been  in 
the  undertaking-business,  before  he  became  a  figure-head 
for  the  so-called  "  Democratic  "  machine. 

He  sat  pulling  nervously  at  a  neatly  trimmed  brown 
beard,  trying  to  wriggle  out  of  the  dilemma  into  which 
Hal  put  him.  Yes,  it  might  possibly  be  that  a  young 
miner  was  being  followed  on  the  streets  of  the  town;  but 
whether  or  not  this  was  against  the  law  depended  on  the' 
circumstances.  If  he  had  made  a  disturbance  in  North 
Valley,  and  there  was  reason  to  believe  that  he  might  be 
intending  trouble,  doubtless  the  company  was  keeping  track 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        227 

of  him.  But  Pedro  was  a  law-abiding  place,  }and  he 
would  be  protected  in  his  rights  sO  long  as  he  behaved 
himself. 

Hal  replied  by  citing  what  MacKellar  had  told  him 
about  men  being  slugged  on  the  streets  in  broad,  day-light. 
To  this  Mr.  Perkins  answered  that  there  was  uncertainty 
about  the  circumstances  of  these  cases ;  anyhow,  they  had 
happened  before  he  became  mayor.  His  was  a  reform  ad- 
ministration, and  he  had  given  strict  orders  to  the  Chief 
of  Police  that  there  were  to  be  no  more  incidents  of  the 
sort. 

"  Will  you  go  with  me  to  the  Chief  of  Police  and  give 
him  orders  now  ?  "  demanded  Hal. 

"  I  do  not  consider  it  necessary,"  said  Mr.  Perkins. 

He  was  about  to  go  home,  it  seemed.  He  was  a  pitiful 
little  rodent,  and  it  was  a  shame  to  torment  him ;  but  Hal 
stuck  to  him  for  ten  or  twenty  minutes  Iqnger,  arguing  and 
insisting  —  until  finally  the  little  rodent  bolted;  for  ;the 
door,  and  made  his  escape  in  an  automobile.  "  You  can 
go  to  the  Chief  of  Police  yourself/'  were  his  .last  words, 
as  he  started  the  machine ;  and  Hal  decided  to  follow  the 
suggestion.  ,He  had  no  hope  left,  but  he  was  possessed 
by  a  kind  of  dogged  rage.  He  would  not  let  go'! 

Upon  inquiry  of  a  passer-by,  he  learned  that  police 
headquarters  was  in  this  same  building,  the  entrance  be- 
ing just  round  the  corner.  He  went  in,  and  found  a  man 
in  uniform  writing  at  a  desk,  who  stated  that  the  Chief 
had '"  stepped  down  the  street."  Hal  sat  down  to  wait, 
by  a  window  through  which  he  could  look  out  upon  the 
three  gunmen  loitering  across  the  way. 

The  man  at  the  desk  wrote  on,  but  now  and  then  he 
eyed,  the  young  miner  with  that 'hostility  which  American 
policemen  cultivate  toward  the  lower  classes.  To  Hal  this 
was  a  new;  phenomenon,  and  he  found  himself  suddenly 
wishing  that  he  had  put  on  MacKellar's  clothes.  Per- 
haps a  policeman  would  not  have  noticed  the  misfit ! 


228  KING  COAL 

The  Chief  came  in.  His  blue  uniform  concealed  a 
burly  figure,  and  his  moustache  revealed  the  fact  that  his 
errand, down  the  street  had  had  to  do.  with  beer.  "  Well, 
young  Mlow  3  "  said  he,  fixing  his  gaze  upon  Hal. 

Hal  explained  his  errand. 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  ? "  asked  the  Chief,  in  a 
decidedly  hostile  voice. 

"  I  want  you  to  make  those  men  stop  following  me." 

"  How  can  I  make  them  stop  ?  " 

"  You  can  lock  them,  up,  if  necessary.  I  can  point 
them  out  to  you,  if  you'll  step  to  the  window." 

But  the  other  made  no  move.  "I  reckon  if  they're  fol- 
lerin'  you,  they've  got  some  reason  for  it.  Have  you  been. 
makin7  trouble  in  the  camps?"  He  a'sked  this  question 
with  sudden  force,  as  if  it  had  occurred  to  him  that  it 
might  be  his  duty  to  lock  up  Hal. 

"  No,"  said  Hal,  speaking  as  bravely  as  he  could  — 
"  no  indeed,  I  haven't  been  making  trouble.  I've  only 
been  demanding  my  rights." 

"  How  do  I  know  what  you  been  doin',?  " 

The  young  miner  was  willing  to  explain,  but  the  other 
Cut  him  short.  "  You  behave  yourself  while  you're  in  this 
town,  young  feller,  d'you  see  ?  If  you  do,  nobody'll  bother 
you." 

•"But,"  said  Hal,  "they've  already  threatened  to  bother 
me." 

"What  did  they  say?" 

"  They  said  something  might  happen  to  me  on  a  dark 
night," 

"  Well,  so  it  might  —  you  might  fall  down  and  hit  you? 
nose." 

The  Chief  was  pleased  with  this  wit,  but  only  for  a 
moment.  "  Understand,  young  feller,  we'll  give  yon  your 
rights  in  this  town,  but  we  got  no  love  for  agitators,  and 
we  don't  pretend  to  have.  See  ?  " 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        229 

"  You  call  a  man  an  agitator  when  he  demands  his  legal 
rights  \  " 

^  I, -ain't  got  time  to  argue  with  you,  young  feller.  It's 
no  easy  matter  keepiii'  order1  in  coal-camps,  and  I  ain't 
going  to  meddle  in  the  business.  I  reckon  the  company 
detectives  has  got  as  good  a  right  in  this  town  as  you.'7 

There  was  a  pause.  Hal  saw  that  there  was  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  further  discussion  wi'th  the  Chief.  It 
was  his  first  glimpse  of  the  American  policeman  as  he  ap- 
pears to  the  labouring  mail  in  revolt, 'and  he  found  it  an 
illuminating  experience.  There  was  dynamite  in  his 
heart  as  he  turned  and  went  out  to  the  street ;  nor  was  the 
amount  tof  the  explosive  diminished  by  the  mocking  grins 
which  he  noted  upon  the  faces  of  Pete  Hanun  and  the  other 
two  husky-looking  personages. 


§  8.  Hal  judged  thaj;  he  had  now  exhausted  his  legal 
resources  in  Pedro ;  the  Chief  of  Police  had  not  suggested 
any  one  else  he  might  call  upon,  so  there  seemed  nothing  he 
cfould  do  but  go  back  to  MacKellar's  and  await  the  hour  of 
the1  night  train  to  Western  City.  He  started  to  give  his 
guardians  another  run,  by  way  of  working  off  at  least  a 
part  of  his  own  temper ;  but  he  found  that  they  had  antici- 
pated this  difficulty.  An  automobile  came  up  and  the 
three  of  them  stepped  in.  JSTot  to  be  outdone,  Hal  en- 
gaged a  hack,  and  so  the  expedition  returned  in  pomp  to 
MacKellar's. 

Hal  found  the  old  cripple  in  a  state  of  perturbation. 
All  that  afternoon  his  telephone  had  been  ringing ;  one  per- 
son after  another  had ! warned  him  —  some  pleading  with 
him,  some  abitsiiig  him.  It  was  evident- that  among  them 
were  people  who  had  a  hold  on  the  old  man;  Imt  he  was 
undaunted,  and  would  not  hear  of  Hal's  going  to  stay  at 
the  hotel  until  train-time. 

16 


230  KING  COAL 

Then.  Elating  returned,  with  an  exciting  tale  to  tell. 
Schulman,  general  manager  of  the  "  G.  F.  C.,"  had  been 
sending  out  messengers  to  hunt  for  him,  and  finally  had 
'got  him  in  his  office,  arguing  and  pleading,  cajoling  and 
denouncing  him  by  turns.  He  had  got  Cartwright  on  the 
telephone,  and  the  North ,  Valley  superintendent  had  lar 
boured  to  convince  Keating  that  >  he  had  done  the  company 
a  wrong.  Cartwright  had  told  a  story  about  Hal's  efforts 
to  hold  up  the  company  for  money.  ,  "  Incidentally,"  said 
Keating,  "  he  added  the  charge  that  you  had  seduced  a  girl 
in ;  his  camp." 

Hal  stared  at  his  friend.  "  Seduced  a  girl !  "  he  ex- 
claimed. 

"  That's  what  he  ssaid ;  a  red-headed  Irish  girl.7' 

"Well,  damn  his  soul !"  ..,. 

There  followed  a  silence,  broken  by  a  laugh  from  Billy. 
"  Don't  glare  at  me  like  that.  I  didn't  say  it !  " 

But  Hal  continued  to  glare,  nevertheless.  "  The  dirty 
little  skunk  1 " 

"Take  it  easy,  sonny,"  said  the  fat  man,  soothingly. 
"It's  quite  the  usual  thing,  to  drag  in  a  woman.  It's -so 
easy  —  for  of  course  there  always  is  a  woman.  There's 
one  in  this  case,  T  suppose '?  " 

"  There's  a  perfectly  decent  girl." 

"But  you've  been  friendly  with  her?  You've  been 
walking  around  where  people  can  see  you  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  So  you  see,  they've  got  you.  There's  nothing  you  can 
do  about  a  thing  of  that  sort." 

"  You  wait  and  see !  "  Hal  burst  out. 

The  other  gazed  curiously  at  the  angry  young  miner. 
"  What'll  you  do  ?  Beat  him  up  some  night  ?  " 

But  the  young  miner  did  not  answer.  "  You  say  ho 
described  the' girl?" 

"He  was  kind  enough  to  say  she  was, a  red-headed 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        231 

beauty,  and  with  no  one  to  protect  her  but  a  drunken 
father.  I  could  understand  that  must  have  made  it  pretty 
hard  for  her,  in  one  of  these  coal-camps.77  There  was  a 
pause.  "  But  see  here,77  said  the  reporter,  "  you'll  only 
do  the  girl  harm  by  maiing  a  row.  Nobody  believes  that 
women  in  coal-camps  have  any  virtue.  God  knows,  I 
don't  see  how  they  do  have,  considering  the  sort  of  men 
who  run  the  camps,  and  the  power  they  have.77 

"  Mr.  Keating,77  said  Hal,  "  did  you  believe  what  Cart- 
wright  told  you  ? " 

Keating  had  started  to  light  a  cigar.  He  stopped  in 
the  middle,  and  his  eyes  met  Hal7s.  "  My  dear  boy,"  said 
he,  "  I  didn't  consider  it  my  business  to  have  an  opinion.77 

"  But  what  did  you  say  to  Cartwright  3  " 

"  Ah  !  That's  another  matter.  I  said  that  I'd  been  a 
newspaper  man  for  a  good  many  years,  and  I  knew  his 
game.'7 

"  Thank  you  for  that,"  said  Hal.  "  You  may  be  in- 
terested to  know  there  isn't  any  truth  in  the  story." 

"Glad  to  hear  it,"  said  the  other.     "I  believe  you." 

"  Also  you  may  be  interested  to  know  that  I  shan't  drop 
the  matter  until  I7ve  made  Cartwright  take  it  back.77 

"  Well,  you're  an  enterprising  cuss !  "  laughed  the  re- 
porter. ''Haven't  you  got  enough  on  your  hands,  with 
all  the  men  you're  going  to  get  out  of  the  mine  ?  " 


§  9.  Billy  Keating  went  out  again,  saying  that  he  knew 
man  who  might  be  willing  to  talk  to  him  on  the  quiet, 
and  give  him  some  idea  what  was  going  to  happen  to  Hal. 
Meantime  Hal  and  Edstrom  sat  down  to  dinner  with  Mac- 
Kellar.  The  family  were  afraid  to  use  the  dining-room 
of  their  home,  but  spread  a  little  table  in  the  upstairs  hall. 
The  distress  of  mind  of  MacKellar's  wife  and  daughter 
was  apparent,  and  this  brought  home  to  Hal  the  terror  of 


232:  KING  COAL 

life  matins  coal-country.  Here  were  American  women, 
in  an  American  home,  a  home  with:  evidences  of  refinement 
and  culture;  yet  they  felt  and  acted  as  if  they  were  Kus- 
sian  conspirators,  in  terror  of  Siberia  and  the  knout! 

The  reporter/was  gone  a  couple  df  hours;  wrhen  he  came 
back,  he  brought  news.  "  You  can  prepare  for  trouble, 
young  fellow.7' 

"Why  so?-" 
•••  u  Jeff  Cotton's  in  town." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

",I  saw  him  in  an  automobile.  If  he  left  North  Valley 
at  this  time,  it  was  for  something  serious,  you  may  be 
sure.'7  ; 

"  What  does  he  mean  to  do  ? " 

"  There's  no  telling.  He  may  have  you  slugged;  he 
may  have  you  run  out  of  town  and  dumped  out  in  the 
desert;  he  may  just  have  you  arrested." 

Hal  considered  for  a  moment.     "  For  slander  ? " 

"Or  for  vagrancy;  or  on  suspicion  of  having  robbed  a 
bank  in  Texas,  or  murdered  your  great-grandmother  in 
Tasmania.  The  point  is,  he'll  keep  you  locked  up  till 
this  trouble  hasf  blown  over." 

"Well,"  said  Hal,  "  I  don't  want  to  be  locked  up.  I 
want  to  go  up  to  Western  City.  •  -  I'm  waiting  for  the 
train." 

"  You  may  have  to  wait  till  morning,"  replied  Keating. 
"  There's  been  trouble  on  the  railroad  —  a  freight-car 
broke" down  and  ripped  up  the  track;  it'll  be  some  time  be- 
fore it's  clear." 

They  discussed  this  new  problem  back  and- forth.     Mac- 
Kellar  wanted  to  get  in  half  a  dozen  friends  and 
guard  over  Hal  during  the •  night ;   and  Hal  had.;, 
agreed  to  this  idea,  when  the  discussion  was  given  a 
turn  by  a  chance  remark  of  Keating's.     "  Somebody  el    • 
is  tied  up  by  the  railroad  accident.     The  Coal  Kinifs 
son!" 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL 

"The  Coal  King's  son?"  echoed  Hal. 

"  Young  Percy  Harrigan.  He's  got  a  private  car  here 
—  or  rather  a  whole  train.  Think  of  it  —  dining-car, 
drawing-room  £ar,  two  whole  cars  with  sleeping  apart- 
ments! Wouldn't  you  like  to  be  a  son  of  ;the  Coal 
King?" 

"  Has  he  come  on  account  of  the  mine-disaster  ?  " 

"  Mine-disaster  ?.'?  echoed  Keating.  "I  doubt  if  he's 
heard  of  it.  They've  been  on  a  trip  to  the  Grand  Canyon, 
I  was  told;  there's  a  baggage-ear  with  four  automo- 
biles." 

P  Is  Old  Peter  with  them  ?  " 

"  No,  he's  in  New.  York.  Percy's  the  host.  He's  got 
one  of  his  automobiles  out,  and  was  up  in  town  — two 
other  fellows  and  some  girls." 

"Who's  in  his  .party?" 

ft  I  couldn't  find  out.  You  can  see,  it  might  be  a  story 
for  the  Gazette  —  the  Coal  King's  son,  coming  by 
chance  at  the  moment  when  a  hundred  and  se^ven  of  his 
serfs  are  perishing  in  the  mine !  If  I  could  only  have  got 
him  to  say  a  word  about  the  disaster!  If  I  could  even 
have  got  him  to  say  he  didn't  know  about  it !  " 

"Did  you  try?" 

"  What  am  I  a  reporter  for  ?  " 

"What  happened?" 

"  Nothing  happen'ed ;  except  that  he  froze  me  stiff." 

"Where  was  this?" 

"  On  the  street.  They  stopped  at  a  drug-store,  and  I 
stepped  up.  '  Is  this  Mr.  Percy  H#rrigan  2 '  He  was 
looking  into  the  store,  over  my  head.  '  I'm  a  reporter/  I 
said,  '  and  I'd  like  to  ask  you  about  the  accident  up  at 
North  Valley.'  '  Excuse  me,'  Ire  said,  in  a  tone  —  gee,  it 
makes  your  blood  cold  to  think  of  it!  ;  Just  a  word,' 
I  pleaded,  'I  don't  give  interviews/,  he  answered;  and 
that  was  all- — he  continued  looking  over  my  head,  and 
everybody  else  staring  in  front  of  them.  They  had  turned 


234  KING  COAL 

to  ice  at  ray  first  word.  If  ever  I  •  felt  like  a  frozen 
worm !  " 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  Ain't  it  wonderful/'  reflected  Billy,  "  how  quick  you 
can  build  up  an  aristocracy!  When  you  looked  at  that 
car,  the  crowd  in  it  and  the  airs  they  wore,  you'd  think 
they'd  been  running  the  world  since  the  time  of  William 
the  Conqueror.  And  Old  Peter  came  into  this  country 
with  a  pedlar's  pack  on  his  shoulders !  " 

"  We're  hustlers  here,"  put  in  .MacKellar. 

"  We'll  hustle  all  the  way  to  hell  in  a  generation  more," 
said  the  reporter.  Then,  after  a  minute,  u  Say,  but  there's 
one  girl  in  that  bunch  that  was  the  real  thing !  She  sure 
did  get  me!  You  know  all  those  fluffy  things  they  do 
themselves  up  in  —  soft  and  fuzzy,  makes  you  think  of 
spring-time  orchards.  This  one  \vas  exactly  the  colour  of 
apple^blossorns." 

"  You're  susceptible  to  the  charms  of  the  ladies  ?  "  in- 
quired Hal,  mildly. 

"  I  am,"  said  the  other.  "  I  know  it's  all  fake,  but  just 
the  same,  it  makes,  my  little  heart  go  pit-a-pat.  I  always 
want  to  think  they're  as  lovely  as  they  look." 

Hal's  smile  became  reminiscent,  and  he-  quoted : 

"  Oh  Liza- Ann,  come  out  with  me, 
The  moon  is  a-shinin'  in  the  monkey-puzzle  tree!  " 

Then  he  stopped,  with  a  laugh.  "  Don't  wear  your 
heart  on  your  sleeve,  Mr.  Keating.  She  wouldn't  be  above 
taking  a  peck  at  it  as  she  passed." 

"  At  me  ?     A  worm  of  a  newspaper  reporter  ?  " 

"  At  you,  a  man !  "laughed  Hal.  "  I  wouldn't  want  to 
accuse  the  lady  of  posing;" but  a  lady  has  her  role  in  life, 
and  has  to  keep  her  hand  in." 

There  was  a  pause.  The  reporter  was  looking  at  the 
young  miner  with  sudden  curiosity.  •"  See  here," 'he  re- 
marked^ "'I've  been  wondering  about  you.  How  do  you 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       235 

come  to' know  so  much  about  the  psychology  of  the  .leisure 
class  ? " 

"  I  used  to  have  money  once,"  said  Hal.     "  My  family's 
gone  down  as  Quickly  as  the  Harrigans  .have  come  up." 


§10.  Hal  we^nt  on  'to  question  Keating  about  the 
apple-blossom  girl.  "Maybe  I, could  guess  who  she  is. 
What  colour  was  her  hair '(  " 

"  The  colour  of  molasses  .taffy  when  you've  pulled  it1/' 
said  Billy;  "but  all  fluffy  and  wonderful,  with  star-dust 
in,  it.  Her  eyes  were  brown,  and  her  cheeks  pink  and 
cream." 

"  She  had  two  rows  of  pearly  white  teeth,  that  flashed  at 
you  when  she  smiled  ?  " 
•   "'She  didn't  smile,  unfortunately." 

"  Then  her  brown  eyes  gazed  at  you,  wide  open,  full  of 
wonder  ? " 

"Yes,  they  did— -only  it  was  into  the  drug-store  win- 
dow." 

"  Did  she  wear  a  white  hat  of  soft  straw,  with  a  green 
and  white  flower  garden  on  it,  and  an  olive  green  veil,  and 
maybe  cream  white  ribbons  ? " 

"  By  George,  I  believe  you've  seen  her !  "  exclaimed  the 
reporter. 

"  Maybe,"  said  Hal.  "  Or  maybe  I'm  describing  the 
girl  on  the  cover  of  one  of  the  current  magazines!  "  He 
smiled ;  but  then,  seeing  the  other's  curiosity,  "  Seriously, 
I  think  I  do  know  your  young  lady.  If  you  announce 
that  Miss  Jessie  Arthur  is  a  member  of  the  Harrigan 
party,  you  won't  be  taking  a  long  chance." 

"  I  can't  afford  to  take  any  chance  at  all,"  said  the 
reporter.  "  You  mean  Robert  Arthur's  daughter  ?-" 

"Heiress-apparent  of  the  banking  business  of  Arthur 
and  Sons,"  said  Hal.  "  It  happens  I  know  her  by  sight." 

"How's  that?" 


23.6  KING  COAL 

"  I  worked  in  a  grocery-store  where  she  used  to  come." 
'  "  Whereabouts  ?  " 

"  Peterson  and  Company,  in  Western  City." 

•"  -Oho !     And  you  used  to  sell  her  candy." 

"  Stuffed  dates." 

"  And  your  little  heart  used  to  go  pit-a-pat,  so  that 
you  could  hardly  count  the  change .?  " 

•"  Gave  her  too  much,,  several  times!  " 

"  And  you  wondered  if  she  was  as  good  as  .she  was  beau- 
tiful !  One  day  you  were  thrilled  with  hope,  the  next  you 
were  cynical  and  bitter  —  till  at  last  you  gave  up  in  de- 
spair,, and  ran  away  to  work  in  a  coal-mine !  " 

They  laughed,  and  MacKellar  and  Edstrom  joined  in. 
But  suddenly  Keating  became  serious  again.  "  I  ought 
to  be  away  on  that  story!  "  he  exclaimed.  ' "  I've  got  to 
get  something  out  of  that  crowd  about  the  disaster.  Think 
what  copy  it  would  make !  " 

"  But  howxcan  you  do  it  ?  " 

.".I  don't  know;  I  only  know  I  ought  to  be  trying.  I'll 
hang  round  the  train,  and  maybe  I  can  get  one. of  the 
porters  to  talk." 

"  Interview  with  the  Coal  King's  porter !  "  chuckled 
Hal.  "  How  it  feels  to  make  up  a  multi-millionaire's 
bed!" 

"  How  it  feels  to  sell  stuffed  dates  to  a  banker's  daugh- 
ter !  "  countered  the  other. 

But  suddenly  it  was  Hal's  turn  to  become  serious. 
"Listen,  Mr.  Keating,"  said  he,  "  why  not  let  me  inter- 
view7 young  Harrigan  ? " 

"You?" 

"  Yes !  I'm' the  proper  person  —  one  of  his  miners! 
I  help  to  make  his  money  for  him,  don't  I  \  I'm  the  one 
to  tell  him  about  North  Valley." 

Hal  saw  the  reporter  staring  at  him  in  sudden  excite- 
ment ;  he  continued :  "  I've  been  to  the  District  Attorney, 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        237 

the  Justice  of  the  Peace,  the  District  Judge,  the  Mayor 
and  the  Chief  of  Police.  Now,  why  shouldn't  I  go  to  the 
Owner?" 

u  By  thunder !  "  cried  Billy.  "  I  believe  you'd  have  the 
nerve !  " 

"  I  believe  I  would,"  replied  Hal,  quietly. 

The  other  scrambled  out  of  his  chair,  wild  with  delight. 
"  I  dare  you !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  I'm  ready,"  said  Hal. 

"  You  mean  it  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  mean  it." 

"  In  that  costume  ?  " 

"  Certainly.     I'm  one  of  his  miners." 

"But  it  won't  go,"  cried  the  reporter.  "You'll  stand 
no  chance  to  get  near  him  unless  you're  well  dressed." 

"Are  you  sure  of  tljat '?  What  I've  got  on  might 
'be  the  garb  of  a  railroadrhand.  Suppose  there  was  some- 
thing out  of  order  in  one  of  the  cars  — •  the  plumbing,  for 
example  ? " 

"  But  you  couldn't  fool  the  conductor  or  the  porter." 

"  I  might  be  able  to.     Let's  try  it." 

There  was  a  pause,  while  Keating  thought.  "The 
truth  is,"  he  said,  "  it  doesn't  matter  whether  you  succeed 
or  not  —  it's  a  story  if  you  even  make  the  attempt.  The 
Coal  King's  son  appealed  to  by  one  of  his  serfs !  The 
hard  heart  of  Plutocracy  rejects  the  cry  of  Labour !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Hal,  "  but  I  really  mean  to  get  to  him. 
Do  you  suppose  he's  got  back  to-  the  train  yet  ? " 

"  They  were  starting  to  it  when  I  left." 

"  And  where  is  the  train  ?  " 

"  Two  or  three  hundred  yards  east  of  the  station,  I  was 
told." 

MacKellar  and  Edstrom  had  been  listening  enthralled 
to  this  exciting  conversation.  "  That  ought  to  be  just  back 
of  my  house,"  said  the  former. 


238  KING  COAL 

"  It's  a  short  train  —  four  parlour-cars  and  a  baggage- 
car/'   added  Keating.     "It  ought  to  be  easy  to  recog- 


nise/' 


The  old  Scotchman  put  in  an  objection.  "  The  diffi- 
culty may  be  to  get  out  of  this  house.  I  don't  believe  they 
mean  to  let  you  get  away  to-night.'7 

"By  Jove,  that's  so!"  exclaimed  Keating.  "We're 
talking  too  much  —  let's  get  busy.  Are  they  watching  the 
back  door,  do  you  suppose  ?  " 

"  They've  been  watching  it  all  day,"  said  MacKellar. 

"  Listen,"  broke  in  Hal  — "  I've  an  idea.  They  haven't 
tried  to  interfere  with  your  going  out,  have  they,  Mr*  Keat- 
ing?" 

"  No,  not  yet." 

"  Nor  with  you,  Mr.  MacKellar  ?  " 

"  No,  not  yet,"  said  the  Scotchman. 

"  Well,"  Hal  suggested,  "  suppose  you  lend  me  your 
crutches  ?  " 

Whereat  Keating  gave  an  exclamation  of  delight. 
"The  very  thing!'' 

"  Til  take  your  over-coat  and  hat,"  Hal  added.  "  I've 
watched  you  get  about,  and  I  think  I  can  give  an  imita- 
tion. As  for  Mr.  Keating,  he's  not  easy  to  mistake." 

"  Billy,  the  fat  boy!  "  laughed  the  other.  "  Come,  let's 
get  on  the  job !  " 

"I'll  go  out  by  the  front  door  at  the  same  time,"  put  in 
Edstrom,  his  old  voice  trembling  with  excitement.  "  May- 
be that'll  help  to  throw  them  off  the  track." 


§  11.  They  had  been  sitting  upstairs  in  MacKellar  s 
room.  f  Now  they  rose,  and  were  starting  for  the  stairs, 
when  suddenly  there  came  a  ring  at  the  front  door  bell. 
They  stopped  and  stared  at  one  another.  "  There  they 
are !  "  whispered  Keating. ' 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        239 

And  MacKellar  sat  down  suddenly,  and  held  out  his 
crutches  to  Hal.  "  The  hat  and  coat  are  in  the  front 
hall,"  he  exclaimed.  "Make  a  try  for  itf"  His  words 
were  full  of  -vigour,,  but  like  Edstrom,  his  voice  was 
trembling.  He  was  no  longer  young,  and  could  not  take 
adventure  gaily. 

Hal  and  Keating  ran  downstairs,  followed  by  Edstrom. 
Hal  put  on  the  coat  and  hat,  and  they  went  to  the  back 
door,  while  at  the  same1  time  Edstrom  answered  the  bell  in 
front. 

The  back  door  opened  into  a  yard,  and  this  gave,  through 
a  side  gate,  into  an  alley.  Hal's  heart  was  pounding  furi- 
ously as  he  began  to  hobble  along  with  the  crutches.  He 
had  to  go  at  MacKellar's  slow  pace  —  while  Keating,  at 
his  side,  started  talking.  He  informed  "  Mr.  MacKel- 
lar," in  a  casual  voice,  that  the  Gazette  was  a  newspaper 
which  believed  in  the  people's  cause,  and  was  pledged  to 
publish  the  people's  side  of  all  public  questions.  Dis- 
coursing thus,  they  went  out  of  the  gate  and  into  the 
alley. 

A  man  emerged  from  the  shadows  and  walked  by  them. 
He  passed  within  three  feet  of  Hal,  and  peered  at  him, 
narrowly.  Fortunately  there  was  no  moon;  Hal  could 
not  see  the  man's  face,  and  hoped  the  man  could  not  see 
his. 

Meantime  Keating  was  proceeding  with  his  discourse. 
"  You . ;  understand,  Mr.  MacKellar,"  he  was  saying, 
"  sometimes  it's  difficult  to  find  out  the  truth  in  a  situa- 
tion like  this.  When  the  interests  are  filling  their  news- 
papers with  falsehoods  and  exaggerations,  it's  a  tempta- 
tion for  us  to  publish  falsehoods  and  exaggerations  on  the 
other  side.x  But  we  find  in  the  long  run  that  it  pays  best  to 
publish  the  truth,  Mr.  MacKellar — -we  can  stand  by  it, 
and  there's  no  come-back." 

Hal,  it  must  be  admitted,  was  not  paying  much  atten- 
tion to  this  edifying  sermon.  He  was  looking  ahead,  to 


240  KING  COAL 

where  the  alley  debouched  onto  the  street.  It  was  the 
street  behind  MacKellar's  house,  arid  only  !a  block  from  the 
railroad-track. ". 

He  dared  not  look  behind,  but  he  was  straining  his  ears. 
Suddenly  he  heard  a  shout,  in  John  Edstrom's  voice. 
"Run!  Run!" 

.In  a  flash,  Hal  dropped  the  two  crutches,  arid  started 
down  the  alley,  Keating  at  his  heels.  They  heard  cries 
behind  them,  and  a  voice,  sounding  quite  near, ,  com- 
manded, "Halt!"  They  had  reached  the  end  of  the 
alley,  and  were  in  the  act  of  swerving,  when  a  shot 
rang  out  and  there  was  a  crash  of  glass  in  a  house  beyond 
them  on  the  far  side  of  the  street. 

•  Farther  on  was  a  vacant  lot  with  a  path  running  across 
it.  .-Following  this,  they  dodged  behind  some  shanties, 
and  came  to  another  street  —  and  so  to  the  railroad 
tracks.  There  was  a  long  line  of  freight-cars  before  them, 
and  they  ran  between  two  of  these,  and  climbing  over  the 
couplings,  saw  a  great  engine  standing,  its  headlight  gleam- 
ing full  in  their  eyes.  They  sprang  in  front  of  it,  and 
alongside  the  Strain,  passing  a  tender,  then  a  baggage-car, 
then  a  parlour-car. 

"  Here  we  are!"  exclaimed  Keating,  who  was  puffing 
like  a  bellows. 

Hal  saw  that  there  were  only  three  more  cars  to  the 
fraiu ;  also,  he  saw  a  man  in  a  blue  uniform  standing  at 
the  •  steps.  He,  dashed  towards  him.  "Your  car?s  on 
fire!""  he  cried. 

"  What?  "  exclaimed  the  man.     "  Where  ?  " 

"  Here !  "  cried  Hal  ;<  and  in  a  flash  he  had  sprung  past, 
the' other,  up  the  steps  and  into  the  car. 

There  was  a  long,  narrow  corridor,  to  be  recognised  as 
the  kitchen  portion  of  a  dining-car;  at  the  other  end  of 
this  corridor  was  a  swinging  door,  and  to  this  Hal  leaped. 
He  heard  the  conductor  shouting  to  him  to  stop,  but  he 
paid  no  heed.  He  slipped  off  his  over-coat  and  hat;  and 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        241 

then,  pushing  open  the  door,  he  entered  a  brightly  -lighted 
apartment  —  and  the  presence  of  the  Coal  King's  son. 


§  12.  White  linen  and  cut  glass  of  the  dining-saloon- 
shone  brilliantly  under  electric  lights,  softened  to  the  eye 
by  pink  shades.  Seated  at  the  tables  were  half  a  dozen 
young  men  and  as  many  young  ladies,  all  in  evening  cos- 
tume ;  also  two  or  three  older  ladies,  They  had  begun 
the  first  course  of  their  meal,  and  were  laughing  and  chat- 
ting, when  suddenly  came  this  unexpected  visitor,  clad  in 
coal-stained  miner's  jumpers.  He  was  not  disturbing  in 
the  manner  of  his  entry ;  but  immediately  behind  him  came 
a  fat  man,  perspiring,  wild  of  aspect,  and  wheezing  like 
an  old  fashioned  steam-engine  ;•  behind  him  came  the  con- 
ductor of  the  train,  in  a  no  less  evident  state  of  agita- 
tion. So,  of  course,  conversation  ceased.  The  young 
ladies  turned  in  their  chairs,:  while  several  of  the  young 
men  sprang  to  their  feet. 

There  followed  a  silence:  until  finally  one  of  the  young 
men  took  a  step  forward.  "  What's  this  ?  "  he  demanded, 
as  one  who  had  a  right  to  demand. 

Hal  advanced  towards  the  speaker,  a  slender  youth, 
correct  in  appearance,  but  not  distinguished  looking. 
"  Hello,  Percy !  "  said  Hal. 

A  look  of  amazement  came  upon  the  other's  face.  He 
stared,  but  seemed  unable  to  believe  what  he  saw.  And 
then  suddenly  came  a  cry  from  one  of  the  young  ladies; 
the  one  having  hair  the  colour  of  molasses  taffy  when 
youVe  pulled  it — :but  all  fluffy  and  wonderful,  with  star- 
dust  in,  it.  Her  cheeks  were  pink  and  cream,  and  her 
brown  eyes  gazed,  wide'open,  full  of  wonder.  She  wore  a 
dinner,  gown  of  soft  olive  green,  with  a  cream  white  scarf 
of  some  filmy  material  thrown  about  her  bare  shoulders. 
'"  She  had  started  to  her  feet.  "  It's  Hal !  "  she  cried. 


242  KING  COAL 

"  Hal  Warner !  "  echoed  young  Harrigan.  "  Why, 
what  iii  the  world  —  ?  " 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  clamour  outside.  "  Wait  a 
moment,"  said  Hal,  quietly.  "  I  think  some  one  else  is 
coming  in." 

The  door  was  pushed  violently  open.  It  was  pushed  so 
violently  that  Billy  Keating  and  the  conductor  were 
thrust  to  one  side;  and  Jeff  Cotton  appeared  in  the  en- 
trance. 

The  camp-marshal  was  breathless,  his  face  full  of  the 
passion  of  the  hunt.  In  his  right  hand  he  carried  a  re- 
volver. He  glared  about  him,  and  saw  the  two  men  he 
was  chasing;  also  he  saw  the  Coal  King's  son,  and  the  rest 
of  the  astonished  company.  'He  stood,  stricken  dumb. 

The  door  was  pushed  again,  forcing  him  aside,  and  two 
more  men  crowded  in,  both  of  them  carrying  revolvers  in 
their  hands.  The  foremost  was  Pete  Hanun,  and  he  also 
stood  staring.  The  "  breaker  of  "teeth  "  had  two  teeth  of 
his  own  missing,  and  when  his  prize-fighter's  jaw  dropped 
down,  the  deficiency  became  conspicuous.  It  was  proba- 
bly his  first  entrance  into  society,  and  he  was  like  an  over- 
grown boy  caught  in  the  jam-closet. 

Percy  Harrigan's  manner  became  distinctly  imperious. 
"What  does  this  mean?"  he  demanded. 

It  was  Hal  who  answered.  "  I  am  seeking  a  crimi-' 
nal,  Percy." 

"What?"  There  were  little  cries  of  alarm  from  the 
women. 

'  Yes,  a  criminal ;  the  man  who  sealed  up  the  mine." 

"  Sealed  up  the  mine?  "  echoed  the  other.  "  What  do 
you  mean  ?  " 

"  Let  me  -explain.  First,  I  will  introduce  my  friends. 
Harrigan,  this  is  my  friend  Keating." 

Billy  suddenly  realised  that  he  had  a  hat  on  his  head. 
He  jerked  it  off;  but  for  the  rest,  his  social  instincts  failed 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        243 

him.  He  could  only  stare.  He  had  not  yet  got  all  his 
breath. 

''Billy's  a  reporter,"  said  Hal.  "But  you  needn't 
worry  —  he's  a  gentleman,  and  won't  betray  a  confidence. 
You  understand,  Billy." 

"  Y  —  yes,"  said  Billy,  faintly. 

"  And  this,"  said  Hal,  "  is  Jeff  Cotton,  camp-marshal  at 
North  Valley.  I  suppose  you  know,  Percy,  that  the 
North  Valley  mines  belong  to  the  (  G.  E.  C.'  Cotton,  this 
is  Mr.  Harrigan."  0 

Then  Cotton  remembered  his  hat;  also  his  revolver, 
which  he  tried  to  get  out  of  sight  behind  his  back. 

"  And  this,"  continued  Hal,  "  is  Mr.  Pete  Hanun,  by 
profession  a  breaker  of  teeth.  This  other  gentleman, 
whose  name  I  don't  know,,  is  presumably  .an  assistant- 
breaker."  So  Hal  went  on,  observing  the  forms  of  social 
intercourse,  his  purpose  being  to  give  his  mind  a  chance 
to  work.  So  much  depended  upon  the  tactics  he  chose  in 
this  emergency !  Should  he  take  Percy  to  one  side  and 
tell  him  the  story  quietly,  leaving  it  to  his  sense  of  jus- 
tice and  humanity  ?  No,  that  was  not  the  way  one  dealt 
with  the  Harrigans!  They  had  bullied  their  way  to  the 
front;  if  anything 'were  done  with  them,  it  would  be  by 
force !  If  anything  were  done  with  Percy,  it  would  be  by 
laying  hold  of  him  before  these  guests,  exposing  the  situa- 
tion, and  using  their  feelings  to  coerce  him ! 

The  Coal  King's  son '  was  asking  questions  again. 
What  was  all  this  about?  So  Hal  began  to  describe  the 
condition  of  the  men  inside  the  mine.  "  They  have  no 
food  or  water,  except  what  they  had  in  their  dinner-pails ; 
and  it's  been  three  days  and  a  half  since  the  explosion! 
They  are  "breathing  bad  air;  their  heads  are  aching,  the 
veins  swelling  in  their  foreheads ;  their  tongues  are  crack- 
ing, they  are  lying  on  the  ground,  gasping.  But  they  are 
waiting  —  kept  alive  by  the  faith  they  have  in  their  friends 


244  KING  COAL 

on  the  surface,  who  will  try  to  get  to  them.  They  dare 
not  take  down  the  barriers,  because  the  gases  would  kill 
them  at  once.  But  they  know  the  rescuers  will  come,  so 
they  listen  for  the  sounds  of  axes  and  picks.  That  is  the 
situation." 

Hal  stopped  and  waited  for  some  sign  of  concern  from 
young  Harrigan.  But  no  such  sign  was  given.  Hal 
went  on : 

•"  Think  of  it,  Percy!  There  is  one  old  man  in  that 
mine,  an  Irishman  who  has  a  wife  and  eight  children  wait- 
ing to  learn  about  his  fate.  I  knW  one  woman  who  has 
a  husband  and  three  sons  in  the  mine.  For  three  days  and 
a  half  the  women  and  children  have  been  standing  at  the 
pit-mouth ;  I  have  seen  them  sitting  with  their  heads  sunk 
upon  their  knees,  or  shaking  their  fists,  screaming  curses 
at  the  criminal  who  is  to  blame.'7 

There  was  a  pause.  "  The  criminal  ? "  inquired 
young  Harrigan.  "I  don't  understand !.  " 

"  You'll  hardly  be  able  to  believe  it;  but  nothing  has 
been  done  to  rescue  these  men.  The  criminal  has  nailed 
a  cover  of  boards  over  the  pit-mouth,  and  put  tarpaulin 
over  it  —  sealing  up  men  and  boys  to  die !  " 

There  was  a  murmur  of  horror  from  the  diners. 

"  I  know,  you  can't  conceive  such  a  thing.  The  reason 
is,  there's  a  fire  in  the  mine;  if  the  fan  is  set  to  working, 
the  coal  will  burn.  But  at  the  same  time, ,  some  of  the 
passages  could  be  got  clear  of  smoke,  and  some  of  the  men 
could  be  rescued.  So  it's  a  question  .of  property  against 
lives ;  and  the  criminal  has  decided  for  the  property.  He 
proposes  to  wait  a  week,  two  weeks,  until  the  fire  has  been 
smothered  ;  then  of  course  the  men  and  boys  will  be  dead." 

There  was  a  silence.  It  was  broken  by  young  Harri- 
gan. "  Who  has  done  this?  " 

"  His  name  is  Enos  Cartwright." 

"  But  who  is  he  ?  " 
y     "  Just  now  when  I  said  that  I  was  seeking  the  crimi- 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        245 

nal,  I ,  misled  you  a  little,  Ifercy.  I  did  it  because  I 
wanted  to  collect  my  thoughts."  Hal  paused:  when  he  con- 
tinued, ; his  voice  was  sharper,  his  sentences  falling  like 
hlows.  '"  The  criminal  I've  been  telling  you  about  is  the 
superintendent  of  the  mine  —  a  man  employed  and  put  in 
authority  by  the  General  Fuel  Company.  The  one  who  is 
being  chased  is  not  the  one  who  sealed  up  the  mine,. but  the 
one  who  proposed  to  have  it  opened.  He  is  being  treated 
as  a  malefactor,  because  the  laws  of  the  state,  as  well  as 
the  laws  of  humanity,  have :  been  suppressed  by  the  Gen- 
eral Fuel  Company ;  he  was  forced  to  seek  refuge  in  your 
car,  in  order  to  save  his  life  from  thugs  and  gunmen  in  the 
company's  employ !  " 


§  13.  .Knowing  these  people  well,.  Hal  could  measure 
the  effect  of  the  thunderbolt  he  had  hurled  among  them. 
They  were  people  to  whom  good  taste  was  the  first  of  all 
the  virtues;  he  knew  how  he  was  offending  them.  If  he 
was  to  win  them  to  the  least  extent,  he  must  explain  his 
presence  here i- — a  trespasser  upon  the  property  of  the 
Harrig#ns. 

"  Percy,"  he  continued,  "  you  remember  how  you  used 
to  jump  on  me  last  year  at  college,  because  I  listened  to 
1  .muck-rakers,'  You  saw  fit  to  take  personal  offence  at 
it.  You  knew  that  their  tales  couldn't  be  true.  But  I 
wanted  to  see  for  myself,  so  I  went  to  work  in  a  coal- 
mine. I  saw  the  explosion;  I  saw  this  man,  Jei!  Cot- 
ton, driving  women  and  children  away  from  the  pit-mouth 
with  blows  and  curses.  I  set  out  to  help  the  men  in  the 
mine,  and  the  marshal  rushed  me  out  of  camp.  He  told 
me  that  if  I  didn't  go  about  my  business,  something  would 
happen  to  me  on  a  dark  night.  And  you  see  —  this  is  a 
dark  night!" 

17, 


246  KING  COAL 

Hal  waited,  to  give  young  Harrigaii  a  chance  to 'grasp 
this  situation  and  to  take  command.  But  apparently 
young  Harrigaii  was  not  aware  of  the  presence  of  the  canip- 
inarshal  and  his  revolver.  Hal  tried  again: 

"  Evidently  these  men  wouldn't  have  minded  killing 
me;  they  fired  at  me  just  now.  The  marshal  still  has  the 
revolver  and  you  can  smell  the  pOwder-smoke.  So  I  took 
the  liberty  of  entering  your  car,  Percy.  It  was  to  save 
my 'life,  and 'you'll  have  to  excuse  me." 

The  Coal  King's  son  had  here  a  sudden  opportunity  to 
be  magnanimous.  He  made  haste  to  avail  himself  of  it. 
"'Of  course,  Hal/7  he  said.  "  It  was  quite  all  right  to 
come  here.  If  our  employes  were  behaving  in  such  fash- 
ion, it  was  without  authority,  and  they  will  surely  pay  for 
it."  He  spoke  with  quiet  certainty ;  it  was  the  Harrigan 
manner,  and  before  it  Jeff  Cotton  and  the  two  mine-guards 
seemed  to  wither  and  shrinjj. 

"Thank  you,  Percy,"  said  Hal.  ""  It's  what  I  knew 
you'd  say.  I'm  sorry  to  have  disturbed  your  dinner- 
party—" 

"  Not  at  all,  Hal;  it  was  nothing  of  a  party." 

"You  see,  Percy,  it  was  not  only  to  save  myself,  but 
the  people  in  the  mine!  They  are  dying,  and  every  mo- 
ment is  precious.  It  will  take;  a  day  at  least  to  get  to 
them,  so  they'll  be  at  their  last  gasp.  Whatever's  to  be 
clone  must  be  done  at  once." 

Again  Hal  waited  —  until  the  pause  became  awkward. 
The  diners  had  so  far  been  looking  at  him;  but  now 
they  were  looking  at  young  Harrigan,  and  young  Harrigan 
felt  the  change. 

"  I  don't  know  just  what  you  expect  of  me,  Hal.  My 
father  employs  competent  men  to  manage  his  bu^ine'ss,  and 
I  certainly  don't  feel  that  I  know  enough  to.  give  them  any 
suggestions."  This  again  in  the  Harrigan  manner;  but 
it  weakened  before  Hal's  firm  gaze.  "  What  can  I  do  ?  " 

"  You  can  give  the  order  to  open  the  mine,  to  reverse  the 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        247 

fan  and  start  it.  That  will  draw  out  the  smoke  and  gases, 
and  the  rescuers  can  go  down.'7 

"  But  Hal,  I  assure  you  I  have  no  authority  to  give 
such  an -order." 

"You  must  -take  the  authority.  Your  father's  in  the 
East,  the  officers  of  the  company  are  in  their  beds  at 
>home;  you  are  here!  " 

"  But  I  don't  understand  such  things,  Hal!  I  don't 
know  anything  of  the  situation  ---except  what  you  tell  me. 
And  while  I  don't  doubt  your  word,  any  man  -may  make 
a  mistake  in  such'  a  situation.7' 

"  Come  arid  see  for  yourself,  Percy!  That's  all  I  ask, 
and  it's  easy  enough.  Here  i£  your  train,  your  engine 
with  steam  up;  have  us  .switched  onto  the  North  Valley 
branch,,  and  we  can  be  at  the  mine  in  half  an  -hour.  Then 

—  let  me  take  you  to  the  men  who  know!     Men  who've 
been  working  all  their  lives  in  mines,  who've  seen  acci- 
dents ilike  this  many  times,  and  who  will  tell  you  the  truth 

—  that, there's  a  chance  of  saving  many  lives,,  and  that  the 
chance  is  being  thrown  away  to  save  some  thousands  of 
dollars'  w^orth  of  coal  and  timbers  and  track." 

"  But  even  if  that's  true,  Hal,  I  have  no \  power ! " 
-.-"  If  •  you  -come  there,  you  can  cut  the  red-tape  in  one 
minute.     What  those  bosses  are  doing  is  a  thing  that  can 
only  be  done  in  darkness!." 

Under  the  pressure  of  Hal's  vehemence,  the  Harrigan 
manner  was  failing.;  the  Coal  King's  son  was  becoming 
a  bewildered  and  quite  ordinary  youth.  But  there  was' a 
power  greater  than  Hal  behind  him.  He  shook  hisThead. 
"  It's  the  old  man's  business,  Hal.  I've  no  right  to  butt 
in!" 

The  other,  in  his  desperate  ne,ed,  turned  to  the  rest 
of  the  party.  His  gate,  moving  from  one  face  to  an- 
other, rested  upon  the  rnazagine-eover  countenance,  with 
the  brown  eyes  wide  open,  full  of  wonder. 

"  Jessie !     What  do  you  think  about  it  ?  " 


248  KING  COAL  • 

The  girl  started,  and  distress  leaped  into  her  face. 
"  How  do  you  mean,  Hal  \  " 

"  Tell  him  he  ought  to^  save  those  lives !  " 

The  moments  seemed  ages  as  Hal  waited.  It  was  a 
test,  he  realised.  The  brawn  eyes  dropped.  "I  don't 
understand  such  things,  Hal !  " 

"  But,  Jessie,  I  am  explaining  them !  Here  are  men 
and  boys  being  suffocated  to  death,  in  order  to  save  a  little 
money.  Isn't  that-plain  ?  " 

"  But  how  can  I  know,  Hal  ?  " 

"  I'm  giving  you  my  word,  Jessie.  Surely  I  wouldn't 
appeal  to  you  unless  I  knew." 

Still  she  hesitated.  And  there  came  a  swift  note  of 
feeling  into  his  voice :  "  Jessie,  dear !  " 

As  if  under  a  spell,  the  girl's  eyes  were  raised  to  his ; 
he  saw  a  scarlet  flame  of  embarrassment  spreading  .over  her 
throat  and  cheeks.  "  Jessie,  I  know  • — it  seems  an  intolera- 
ble thing  to  ask!  You've  never  been  rude  to  a  friend. 
But  I  remember  once  you  forgot  your  good  manners,  when 
you  saw  a  rough  fellow  on  the  street  beating  an  old  drudge- 
horse.  Don't  you  remember  how  you  rushed  *at  him  — 
like  a  wild  thing !  And  now  —  think  of  it,  dear,  here  are 
old  drudge-creatures  being  tortured  to  death;  but  not 
horses  —  working:men !  " 

Still  the  girl  gazed  at  him.'  He  could  read  grief,  dis- 
may in  her  eyes;  he  saw  tears  steal  from  them,  and  stream 
down  her  cheeks.  "Oh,  I  don't  know,  I  don't  know!" 
she  cried ;  and  hid  her  face  in  her  hands,  and  began  to  sob 
aloud. 


§  14.  There  was  a  painful  pause.  HaPs  gaze  travelled 
on,  and  came  to  a  grey-haired  lady  in  a  black  dinner- 
gown,  with  a  rope  of  pearls  about  her  neck.  "  Mrs.  Cur- 
tis !  Surely  you  will  advise  him !  " 

The  grey-haired  lady  started' —  was  there  no  limit  to  his 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        249 

impudence?  She  had  witnessed  the  torturing  of  Jessie. 
But  Jessie  was  his  fiancee;  he  had  no  such  claim  upon  Mrs. 
Curtis.  She  answered,  with  iciness  in  her  tone :  .  "  I 
could  not  undertake  to  dictate  to  my  host  in  such  a  mat- 
ter." 

"Mrs.  Curtis!  You  have  founded  a  charity  for  the 
helping  of  stray  cats  and  dogs !  "  These  words  rose  to 
Hal's  lips .;  but  he  did  not  say  them.  His  eyes  moved  on. 
Who  else  might  help  to  bully  a  Harrigan  ? 

Next  to  Mrs.  Curtis  sat  Reggie  Porter,  with  a  rose  in 
the  button-hole  of  his  dinner-jacket.  Hal  knew  the  role 
in  which  Reggie  was  there  —  a  kind  of  male  chaperon, 
an  assistant  host,  an  admirer  to  the  wealthy,  a  solace  to 
the  bored.  Poor  Reggie  lived  other  people's  lives,  his  soul 
perpetually  a-quiver  with  other  people's  excitements,  with* 
gossip,  preparations  for  tea-parties,  praise  of  tea-parties 
past.  And  always  the  soul  was  pushing;  calculating, 
measuring  opportunities,  making  up  in  tact  and  elegance 
for  distressing  lack  of  money.  Hal  got  one  swift  glimpse 
of  the  face;  the  sharp  little  black  moustaches  seemed^ 
standing  up  with  excitement,  and  in  a  flash  of  horrible  in- 
tuition Hal  read  the  situation  —  Reggie  .was  expecting 
to  be  questioned,  and  had  got  ready  an  answer  that  would 
increase  his  social  capital  in  the  Harrigan  family  bank! 

Across  the  aisle  sat  Genevieve  Halsey:  tall,  erect,  built 
on  the  scale  of  a  statue.  You  thought  of  the  ox-eyed 
Juno,  and  imagined  stately  emotions ;  but  when  you  came 
to  know  Genevieve,  you  discovered  that  her  mind  was  slow, 
and  entirely  occupied  with  herself.  Next  to  her  was 
Bob  Creston,  smooth-shaven,  rosy-cheeked,  exuding  well- 
being —  what  is  called  a  "  good  fellow,"  with  a  wholesome 
ambition  to  win  cups  for  his  athletic  club,  and  to  keep  up 
the  score  of  his  rifle-team  of  the  state  militia.  Jolly  Bob 
might  have  spoken,  out  of  his  good  heart;  but  he  was  in 
love  with  a  cousin  of  Percy's,  Betty  Gunnison,  who  sat 
across  the  table  from  him^  and  'Hal  saw  her  black  eyes 


250  KING  COAL 

shining,  her  little  fists;  clenched  tightly,  her  lips,  pressed 
white.  Hal  understood  Betty  —  she  was  one  of  the  Har^ 
rigans,  working  at  the  Harrigan  family  task  of  making  the 
children  of  a  pack-pedlar  into  leaders  in  the  "  younger 
set"! 

Next  sa£  "  Vivie  "  Cass>  whose  talk  was  of  horses,  and 
dogs  and  such  ungirlish  matters ;  Hal  had  discussed  social' 
questions  in  her  presence,  and  heard  her  view  expressed  in 
one  flashing  sentence  — "  If  a  man  eats  with  his. knife,  I 
consider  him  my  personal  enemy !  "  Over  her  shoulder 
peered  the  face  of  a  man  with  pale  eyes  and  yellow  mous- 
taches—  Bert  Atkins,  cynical  and  world-weary,  whom  the 
papers  referred  to  as  a  "  club-man,"  and  whom  Hal's 
brother  had  called  a -".taime  cat."  There  was  /Dicky" 
lilverson,  like  Hal,  a  favourite  of  the  ladies,  but  nothing 
more ;  "  Billy  "  Harris,  son  of  another,  "  coal  man  "  ; 
Daisy,  his  sister;  and  Blanche  Vagleman,:  whose  father 
was  Old  Peter's  head  lawyer,  whose' brother  was  the  local 
counsel,  and  publisher  of  the  Pedro  Star. 

,So  Hal's  eyes  moved  from  face  to  face,,  and,  his  mind, 
from;  personality  to  personality.  It  was  like  the  .unrolling 
of  a  scroll;  a  panorama  of  a:world  he  had  half  forgotten. 
lie  had  no  time  for  reflection,  but  one  impression  came  to 
him,  swift  and  overwhelming.  Once  he  had  lived  in  this 
world  and  taken  it  as  a  matter  of  course,  lie  had  known 
these  people,  gone  about  with  them;  they  had,  seemed 
friendly,  obliging,  a  good  sort  of  people  on-. the  whole, 
And  now,  what,  a  change!  They  seemed  ..no  longer 
friendly!  Was  the  change  in  them?  Or  was  it  Hal  who 
had  become  cynical  — —  so  that  he  saw  them  in  this  terri- 
fying new  light,  cold,  and  unconcerned;  as  the  stars  about 
men  who  were  dying  a  few  miles  away,! 

Hal's  eyes  came ,  back  to  the  Coal  King's  son,  and  he 
discovered  that  Percy  was  white  .wjth  anger.  .  "I: assure 
you,  Hal,  there's  no  use  going  on  with  this.  I  have  nq 
intention  of  letting  myself  be  bulldozed." 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       251 

Percy's  gaze  shifted  with  sudden  purpose  to  the 
camp-gnarshal.  "Cotton,  what  do  you  say  about  this? 
Is  Mr.  Warner, correct  in  his  idea  of  the  situation?  " 

"You  know  what  such  a  man  would  say,  Percy!'' 
broke  in  Hal. 

."I  don't,"  v^as  the  reply.  "I  wish  to  know.  What 
is  it,  Cotton  '(  " 

"He's  mistaken,  Mr.  Harrigan."  The  marshal's, voice 
was  sharp  and  defiant. 

"  In  what  way  ?  " 

"  The  company's  doing  everything  to  get  .  the  mine 
open,  and  has.  been  from, the  beginning." 

"Oh!"  And  there  was  triumph  in  Percy's  voice. 
"What  is  the  cause  of  the  delay  \  " 

"  The  fan  was  broken,  and  we  had  to  send  for ,  a  new 
one.  It's  a  job  to  set:  it  up  —  such  things  can't  be  done  in 
an  hour." 

Percy. : turned  to  Hal.  "You  see!  There  are  two 
opinions,  at  least !  " 

"  Of  course !"  ,cried  Betty  Gunnison,  her  black  eyes 
snapping  at  Hal.  She  would  have  said  more,  but  H&l  in- 
terrupted, stepping  closer  to  his  host.  "Percy,"  he  said, 
in  a  low  voice,  "  come  back  here,  please.  I  have  a  word 
to  say  to  you  alone." 

There  was  just  a  hint  of  menace  in  Hal's  voice ;  his 
gaze  went  to  the  far  end  of  the  car,  a  space  occupied 'only 
by  two  negro  waiters.  These  retired  in, haste- as  the  young 
men  moved  towards  them ;  and  so,  having  the  Coal  King's 
son  to  himself,  Hal  went  in  to  finish  this  fight. 


§  15.  Percy  Harrigan  was  known  ta  Hal,  as  a  college- 
boy  is  known  to  his  class-mates.  He  was  not  brutal,  like 
his  grim  old  father;  he  was  merely  self-indulgent,  as  one 
who  had.  always  had  everything.;  he  was  weak,  as  one  who 
had  never  had  to  take  a  bold  resolve.  He  had  been, brought 


252  KING  COAL 

up  by  the  women  of  the  family,  to  be  a  part  of.  what  they 
called  "  society  "  ;  in  which  process  he  had  been  given  high 
notions  of  his  own  importance.  The  life  of  the  Harri1 
gans  was  dominated  by  one  painful  memory  —  that  of  a 
pedlar's  pack;  and  Hal  knew  that  Percy's  most  urgent 
purpose  was  to  be  regarded  as  a  real  and; true  and  free- 
handed aristocrat.  It  was  this  knowledge  Hal  was  using 
in  his  attack. 

He  began  with  apologies,  attempting  to  soothe  the  other's 
anger.  He  had  not  meant  to  make  a  scene  like  this;  it 
was  the  'gunmen  who  had  forced  it,  putting  his  life  in 
danger.  It  was  the  very  devil,  being  chased  about  at 
night  and  shot  at!  He  had  lost  his  nerve,  really;  he 
had  forgot  what  little  manners  he  had  been  able  to  keep 
as  a  miner's  buddy.  He  had  made  a  spectacle  of  himself; 
good  Lord  yes,  he  realised  how  he  must  seem ! 

—  And  Hal  looked  at  his  dirty  miner's  jumpers,  and 
then  at --Percy.'  He  could  see  that  Percy  was '  in  hearty 
agreement  thus  far  — he  had  indeed  made  a  spectacle  of 
himself,  and  of  Percy  too  I  Hal  was  sorry  about  this  lat- 
ter, but  here  they  were,  in  a  pickle,  and  it  Was  certainly  too 
late  now.  This  story  was  out -^- there  could  be  no  sup- 
pressing it!  Hal  might  sit  down  on  his  reporter-friend, 
Percy  might  sit  down  011  the  waiters  arid  the  con- 
ductor and  the  camp-marshal  and  the  gunmen  —  but  he 
could  not  possibly  sit  down  on  all  his  friends!  They 
would  talk  about  nothing  else  for  weeks  !  The  story  would 
be  all  over  Western  City  in  a  day  —  this  amazing,  melo- 
dramatic, teri-twenty-thirty  story  of  a  miner's  buddy  in  the 
private  car  of  the  Coal  King's  son ! 

"  And  you  must  see,  Percy,"  Hal  went  on,  "  it's  the  sort 
of  thing  that  sticks  to  a  man.  It's  the  thing  by  which 
everybody  will  form  their  idea  of  you  as  long  as  you  live  !  " 

"  I'll  take  my  chances  with  my  friends'  criticism/'  said 
the  other,  with  some  attempt  at  the  Harrigan  manner. 

"  You  can  make  it  whichever  kind  of  story  you  choose," 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       253 

continued  Hal,  implacably.  "  The  world  will  say,  He  de- 
cided for  the  dollars;  or  it  will  say,  He,  decided  for  the 
lives.  .Surely,  Percy,  your  family  doesn't  need  those  par- 
ticular dollars  so  badly!  Why,  you've  spent, more  on  this 
one  train-trip !  " 

And  Hal  waited,  to  give  his  victim  time  to  calculate. 

The  result  of  the  thinking  was  a  question  worthy  of  Old 
Peter.  ' "  What  are  you  getting, out  of  this?  " 

"  Percy,"  said  Hal,  "  you  .must  know  I'm  getting  noth- 
ing !  If  you  can't  understand  it  otherwise,  say  to  yourself 
that  you  are  dealing  with  a  man  who's  irresponsible.  I've 
seen  so  many  terrible  things  —  I've  been  chased  around  so 
much  by  camp-marshals  —  why,  Percy,  that  man  Cotton 
has  six  notches  on  his  gun!  I'm  simply  crazy!  "  And 
into  the  brown  eyes  of  this  miner's  buddy  came  a  look  .wild 
enough  to  convince  a  stronger  man  than  Percy  Harrigaii. 
"  I've  got  just  one  idea  left  in  the  world,  Percy  —  to  save 
those  miners !  You  make  a  mistake  unless  you  realise  :how 
desperate  I  am.  So  far  I've  done  this  thing  incog !  I've 
been  Joe  Smith,  a  miner's  buddy.  If  I'd  come  out  and 
told  rny  real'  name  —  well,  maybe  I  wouldn't  have  made 
them  open  the  mine,  but  at  least  I'd  have  made  a  lot  of 
trouble  for  the  G.  F.'C. !  .  But  I  didn't  do  it ;  I  knew  what 
a  scandal  it  would  make,  and  there  .was  something  I  owed 
my  father.  But  if  I  see  there's  no  other  way,  if  it's  a 
question  of  letting  those  people  perish,  I'll  throw  every- 
thing else  to  the  winds.  Tell  your  father  that ;  tell  him  I 
threatened  to  turn  this  man  Keating  loose  and  blow  the 
filing  wide  open  —  denounce  the  company,  appeal  to  the 
Governor,  raise  a  disturbance  and  get  arrested  on  the 
street,  if  necessary,  in  order  to  force  the  facts  before  the 
public.*  You  see,  I've  got  the  facts,  Percy!  I've  been 
there  and  seen  with  my  own  eyes.  Can't  you  realise 
that?" 

The  other  did,  not  answer,  but  it  was  evident  that  he 
realised. 


KI1STG  COAL 

'"On  the  other  hand,  see  how  you  can  fix  it,  if  you 
choose.  You  were  on  a  pleasure  trip  when  you  heard  of 
thig  disaster;  you  rushed  up  and  took  command,  you 
opened  the  mine,  you  saved  the  lives  of  your  employed 
That  is  the  way  the  papers  will  handle  it." 

Hal,  watching  his  victim  intently,  and  groping  for  the 
path  to  his  mind,  perceived  that  he  had  gone  "wrong. 
Crude  as  the  Harrigans  were,  they  had  learned  tnat  it  is 
not  aristocratic  to  be  picturesque. 

"  All  right  then'!'""  'said  Hal,  quickly.  "  If  you  prefer, 
you  needn't  be  mentioned.  The  "bosses  up  at':the  camp 
have  the  reporters  under  their  thumbs,  they'll  handle  the 
story  any  way  you  want  it.  The  one  thing  I  care  about  is 
that  you  run  your  car  up  and  see  the  mine  opened.  Won't 
you  do  it,  Percy  ?  " 

Hal  was  gazing  into  the  other's  eyes,  knowing  that  life 
and  death  for  the  miners  hung  upon  his  nod.  '"  Well  \ 
What  is  the  answer?  " 

"Hal,"  exclaimed  Percy,  "my  old  man  will  give  me 
hell !  " 

"All  right;  but  on  the  other  hand,  Til  give  you  hell; 
and  which  will  be  worse  ?  " 

Again  there  was  a  silence.  "  Come  along,  Percy  !  For 
God's  sake !  "  And- Hal's  tone  was  desperate,  alarming. 

And  suddenly  the  other  gave  way.     "  All  right !  " 

Hal  drew  a  breath.  "  But  mind  you ! "  he  added. 
"  Ymi're  not  going  up 'there  to  let  them  fool  you'!  They'll 
try  to  bluff  you  out  —  they  may  go  as  far  as  to  refuse  to 
obey  you.  But  you  must  stand  by  your  guns  —  for,  you 
see,  I'm  going  along,  I'm  going  to  see  that  mine  open. 
I'll  never  quit  till  the  rescuers  have  gone  down!" 

"  Will  they  go,  Hal  ?" 

"Will  they  go?  Good  God,  man,  they're  clamouring 
for  the  chance  to  go !  They've  almost  been  rioting  for  it. 
I'll  go  with  them  - —  and  you,  too,  Percy  —  the  whole 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        255 

crowd  of  us  idlers  will  gD !     When  we  come  out,  we'll 
know  something  about  the  business  of  coal-mining!  " 
u  All  right,  I'm  with  you/7  said  the  Coal  King's  son. 


§  16.  Hal  never  knew  what  Percy  said  to  Cartwright 
•that  night;  he  only  knew  that  when  they  arrived  at  the 
mine  the  superintendent  was  summoned  to  a  consultation, 
and  half  an  hour  -later  Percy  emerged  smiling,  with  the 
announcement  that  Hal  Warner  had  been  mistaken  all 
along ;  the  mine  authorities  had  been  making  all  possible 
haste  to  get  the  fan  ready,  with  the  intention  of  opening 
the  iriine  at  the  earliest  moment.  The  work  was  now  com- 
pleted, and  in  an  hour  'or  two  the  fan  was  to  be  started,  and 
by  morning  there'  would  be  a  chance  of  rescuers  getting  in. 
Percy  said  this  so  innocently  that  for  a  moment  Hal  won- 
derfed  if  Percy  himself  might  not  believe  it.  Hal's  posi- 
tion as  guest  of  course  required  that  he  should  graciously 
pretend  to  believe  it,  consenting  to  appear  as  a  fool  before 
the  rest  of  the  company. 

Percy  invited  Hal  and  Billy  Keating  to  spend  the  night 
in  the  train ;  but  this  Hal  declined.  He  was  too  dirty,  he 
said ;  besides-,  he  wanted  to  be  up  at  daylight,  to  be  one  of 
the  first  to  go  down  rafe  shaft.  Percy  answered  that  the 
superintendent  had  vetoed  this  proposition  — .he  did  »ot 
want  any  one  to  go  down  but  experienced  men,  who  could 
take ''care  of  themselves.  When  there  Were  so  many  on 
hand  ready  and  eager  to  go,  there  was  no  need  to' imperil 
the  lives  of  amateurs.  ; 

At  the  risk  of  seeming  ungracious,  Hal  declared  that  he 
would  "  hang  around  "  and  see  them  take  the  cover  -off 
the  pit-mouth.  There  were  mourning  parties  in  some  of 
the  cabins,  where  women  were  gathered  together  who  could 
not  sleep,  and  it  would  be  an  act  of  charity  to  take  them 
the  good  news. 


256  KING  COAL 

Hal  and  Keating  set  out;  they  went  first  to  the  Raf- 
ferties',  and  saw  Mrs.  Jiafferty  spring  up  and  stare  at 
them,  and  then  scream  aloud  to  the  Holy  Virgin,  waking 
all  the  little  Rafferties  to  frightened  clamour.  When 
the  woman  had  made  sure  that  they  really  knew  what  they 
were  talking  about,  she  rushed  out  to  spread  the  news,  and 
so  pretty  soon  the  streets  were  alive  with  hurrying  figures, 
and  a  crowd  gathered  once  more  at  the  pit-mouth. 

Hal  and  Keating  went  on  to  Jerry  Minetti^s.  Out  of  a 
sense  of  loyalty  to  Percy,  Hal  did  no  more  than  repeat 
Percy's  own  announcement,  that  it  had  been  Cartwright's 
intention  all  along  to  have  the  mine  opened.  It  was  funny 
to  see  the  effect  of  this  statement  —  the  face  with  which 
Jerry  looked  at  Hal!  But  they  wasted  no  time  in  dis- 
cussion; Jerry  slipped  into  his  clothes  and  hurried  with 
them  to  the  pit-mouth. 

:  Sure,  enough-,  a  gang  was  already  tearing  off  the  boards 
and  canvas.  Never  since  Hal  had  been  in  North  Valley 
had  he  seen  men  working  with  such  a  will!  Soon  the 
great  fan  began  to  stir,  and  then  to  roar,  and  then  to  sing ; 
and  there  was  a  crowd  of  a  hundred  people,  roaring  and 
singing  also. 

It  would  be  some  hours  before  anything  more  could  be 
done;  and  suddenly  Hal  realised  that  he  was  exhausted. 
He  and  Billy  Keating  went  back  to  the  Minetti  cabin, 
and  spreading  themselves  a  blanket  on  the  fioor,  lay  down 
with  sighs  of  relief.  As  for  Billy,  he  was  soon  snoring ; 
but  to  Hal  there  came  sudden  reaction  from  ajl  the  excite- 
ment, and  sleep  was  far  from  him. 

An  ocean  of  thoughts  came  flooding  into  his  mind:  the 
world  outside,  his  world,  which  he  had  banished  deliber- 
ately for  several  months,  and  which  he  had  so  suddenly 
been  compelled  to  remember!  It  had  seemed  so  simple, 
what  he  had  set  out  to  do  that  summer:  to  take  another 
name,  to  become  a  member  of  another  class,  to  live  its  life 
and  think  its  thoughts,  and  then  come  back  to  his  own 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       257 

world  with  a  new  and  fascinting  adventure  to  tell  about! 
The  possibility  that  his  own  world,  the  world  of  Hal 
Warner,  might  find  him  out  as  Joe  Smith,  the  miner's 
buddy  — that  was  a  possibility  which  had  never  come  to 
his  mind.  He  was  like  a  burglar,  working  away  at  a  job 
in  darkness,  and  suddenly  finding  the  room  flooded  with 
light. 

He  had  gone  into  the  adventure,  prepared  to  find  things 
that  would  shock  him;  he  had  known  that  somehow,  some- 
where, he  would  have  to  fight  the  "  system."  But  he  had 
never  expected  to  find  himself  in  the  thick  of  the  class- 
war,  leading  a  charge  upon  the  trenches  of  his  own  associ- 
ates. Nor  was  this  the  end,  he  knew ;  this  war  would  not 
be  settled  by  the  winning  of  a  trench  1  Lying  here  in  the 
darkness  and  silence,  Hal  was  realising  what  he  had  got 
himself  in  for.  To  employ  another  simile,  he  was  a  man 
who  begins  a  flirtation  on  the  street,  and  wakes  up  next 
morning  to  find  himself  married. 

It  was  not  that  he  had  regrets  for  the  course  he  had 
taken  with  Percy.  No  other  course  had  been  thinkable. 
But  while  Hal  had  known  these  North  Valley  people  for 
ten  weeks,  he  had  known  the  occupants  of  Percy's  car  for 
as  many  years.  So  these  latter  personalities  loomed  large 
in  his  consciousness,  and  here  in  the  darkness  their 
thoughts  about  him,  whether  actively  hostile  or  passively 
astonished,  laid  siege  to  the  defences  of  his  mind. 

Particularly  he  found  himself  wrestling  with  Jessie 
Arthur.  Her  face  rose  up  before  him,  appealing,  yearn- 
ing. She  had  one  of  those  perfect  faces,  which  irre- 
sistibly compel  the  soul  of  a  man.  Her  brown  eyes,  soft 
and  shining,  full  of  tenderness ;  her  lips,  quick  to  tremble 
with  emotion ;  her  skin  like  apple-blossoms,  her  hair  with 
star-dust  in  it !  Hal  was  cynical  enough  about  coal-oper- 
ators and  mine-guards,  but  it  never  occurred  to  him  that 
Jessie's  soul  might  be  anything  but  what  these  bodily 
charms  implied.  He  was  in  love  with  her ;  and  he  was  too 


258  KING  COAL 

young,  too  inexperienced  in  love  to, realise  that  .under- 
neath the  sweetness  of  girlhood,  so  genuine  and  so  lovable, 
might  lie  deep,  unconscious  cruelty,  inherited  and  in- 
stinctive—  the  cruelty  of  caste,  the  hardness  of  worldly 
prejudice.  A  man  has  to  come  to  middle  age,  and  to  suf- 
fer much,  before  he  understands  that  the  charms  of  women,, 
those  rare  and  magical  perfections  of  eyes  and  teeth  and 
hair,  that  softness  of  skin  and  delicacy  of  feature,  have 
cost  labour  and  care  of  many  generations,  and  imply  in- 
evitably that  life  has  been  feral,  that  customs  and  conven- 
tions have  been  murderous  and  inhuman. 

;,  Jessie  had  failed  Hal  in  his  desperate  emergency.  But 
now  he  went  .over  the  scene,  arid  told  .himself  that  the  test 
had  been  an  unfair  one.  He  had  known  her  since  .child- 
hood, and  loved  her,  and  never  before  had  lie  seen  an  act 
or  heard  a  word  t-hat  was  not  gracious  and  kind.  But  — 
so  he  told  himself  —  she  gave  her  sympathy  to  those  she 
knew;  and  what  chance  had  she  ever  had  to  know  work- 
ing-people? He  must  give  her  the  chance;  he  must  com- 
pel her,  even  against  her  will,  to  broaden  her  understand- 
ing of  life !  The  process  might  hurt  her,  it  might  mar  the 
unlined  softness  of  her  face,  but  nevertheless,  it  would  be 
good  for  her  —  it  would  be  a  "  growing  pain  "  ! 

So,  lying  there  in  the  darkness  and  silence,  Hal  found 
himself  absorbed  in  long  conversation  with  his  sweetheart. 
He  escorted  her  about  the  camp,  explaining  things  to  her, 
introducing  her  to  this  one  and  that.  He  took  others,  of 
his  private-car  friends  and  introduced  them  to  his  North 
Valley  friends.  There  were  individuals  who  had  qualities 
in  common,  and  would  siirely  hit  it  off!  Bob  Creston, 
for  example,  who  was  good  at  a  "  song  and  dance  "•  -  he 
would  surely  be  interested  in  "Blinky,"  the  vaudeville 
specialist  of  the  camp !  Mrs,  Curtis,  who  liked  cats, 
would  find  a  bond  of  sisterhood  with  old  Mrs.  Nagle, 
who  lived  next  door  to  the  Minettis,  and  kept  five! 
And  even 'Yivie  ,Cass,  who  hated  men  who :  ate  with  their 


THE  HENCHMEN  OE  KING  COAL        259 

krr^yes —  $he  would  be  driven  to  murder  by  the  tabler 
manners  of  Reminitsky's  boarders,  but  she  would  take  de- 
light in  "  I>ago  Charlie,,"  the  tobacco-chewing  mule  which 
had  orice  been  Hal's  pet !  .  Hal  could  hardly  wait  for  day- 
light to  come,  so  that  he,  might  begin  these  efforts  at  social 
amalgamation ! 


§  17.  Towards  dawn  Hal  fell  asleep ;  he  was  awakened 
by  Billy  Keating,  who  sat  up  yawning,  at  the  same  time 
grumbling  and  bewailing.  Hal  realised  that  .Billy  also 
had  discovered  troubles  during  the  night  •  Never  in  all 
his  career,  as  a  journalist  had  he  had  such  a  story;  never 
had  any  man  had  sucfi  a  story  —  and  it  must  be  killed ! 

Cartwright  had  got  the  reporters  together  late  the  night 
before  and  told  them  the  news  —  tjiat  the.  company  had  at 
last  succeeded  in,  getting  .the  mine  ready  to  be  opened ;  .also 
that  young  Mr.  Harrigan  was  there  in  his  private  train, 
prompted  by  his  concern  for  the  entombed  miners.  The 
reporters  would  mention  his  coming,  of  course,  but  were 
requested  not  to  "  play  it  up,"  nor  to  mention  the  name£ 
of  Mr.  Harrigan's,  guests.  Needless  to  say  they  .were  not 
told  that  the  "  buddy  '•'  who  had  been  thrown  out  of  camp 
for  insubordination,  had  turned  out  to  be  the  son  of  Ed- 
ward S.  Warner,  the."  coal  magnate, 

A  fine,  cold  rain  was  falling,  and  Hal  borrowed  an  old 
coat  of  Jerry's. and  slipped  it  on.  Little  Jerry  clamoured 
to  go  with  him,  and  after  some  controversy  Hal  wrapped 
him  in  a  shawl  and  slung  him  onto  his  shoulder.,  It  was 
barely  daylight,  but  already  the  whole  population  of  the 
village  was  on  hand  at  the  pit-mouth.  The  helmet-men 
had  gone  dowp.  to.  make  tests,,  so  the  hour  of  final  revela- 
tion was  at  hand.  Women  stood  with  wet  shawls  about 
their  hunched  shoujders,  their  faces  white  and  strained, 
their  suspense  too  great  for  any  sort  of  utterance.  A 
ghastly  thought  it  wasj.that  while  they  were  shuddering  in 


260  KING  COAL 

the  wet,  their  men  below  might :  be  expiring  for  lack  6f  a 
few  drops  of  water ! 

The  helmet-men,  coming  up,  reported  that  lights  would 
burn  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft;  so  it  wasjsafe  for  men  to 
go  down  without  helmets,  and  the  volunteers 'of  the  first 
rescue  party  made  ready.  All  night  there  had  beeii  a  clat- 
tering of  hammers,  where  the  carpenters  were  working  on 
a  new  cage.  Now  it  was  swung  from  the  hoist,  and  the 
men  took  their  places  in  it.  When  at  last  the  hoist  be- 
gan to  move,  and  the  group  disappeared  below  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  you  could  hear  a  sigh  from  a  thousand 
throats,  like  the  moaning  of  wind  in  a -pine-tree.  They 
were  leaving  women  and  children  above,  yet  not  one  of 
these  women  would  have  asked  them' 'to  stay — -such  was 
the  deep  unconscious  bond  of  solidarity  which  made  these 
toilers  of  twenty  nations  one ! 

It  was  a. slow  process,  letting  down  the  cage;  on  account 
of  the  danger  of  gas,  and  the 'newness  of  the  cage,  it  was 
necessary  to  proceed  a  few  feet  at  a  time,  waiting  for  a 
pull  upon  the  signal-cord  to  tell  that  the  men  were  all 
right.  After  they  had  reached  the  bottom,  there  would 
be  'more  time,  no  one  could  say  how  long,  before  they  came 
upon  survivors  with  signs  of  life  in  them.  .  There  were 
bodies  near  the  foot  ,of  the  shaft,  according  to  the  reports 
of  the  helmet-men,  but  there  was  no  use  delaying  to  bring 
these  up,  for  they  must  have  been  dead  for  days.  Hal  saw 
a  crowd  of  women  clamouring  about  the  helmet-men,  try- 
ing to  find  out  if  these  bodies  had  been  recognised.  Also 
he  saw  Jeff  Cotton  and  Bud  Adams  at  their  old  duty  of 
driving  the  women  back. 

The  cage  returned  for  a  second  load  of  men.  There  was 
less  need  of  caution  now;  the  hoist  worked  quickly,  and 
group  after  group  of  men  with  silent,  set  faces,  and  pick- 
axes and  crow-bars  and  ^hovels  in  their  hands,  went  down 
into  the  pit  of  terror.  They  would  scatter  through  the 
workings,  testing  everywhere  ahead  of  them  with  safety- 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        261 

lamps,  and  looking  for  'barriers  erected  by  the  imprisoned 
men  for  defence  against  the  gases.  As  they  hammered 
on  these  barriers,  perhaps  they  would  hear  the  signals  of 
living  men  on  the  other  side ;  or  they  would  break  through 
in  silence,  and  find  men  too  far  gone  to  make  a  sound,  yet 
possibly  with  the  spark  of  life  still  in  them. 

One  by  one,  Hal's  friends  went  down  — "  Big  Jack  " 
David,  and  Wresmak,  the  Bohemian,  Klowoski,  the  Pole, 
and  finally  Jerry  Minetti.  Little.  Jerry  waved  his  hand 
from  his  perch  on  Hal's  shoulder ;  while  Rosa,  who  had 
come  out  and  joined  them,  was  clinging  to  Hal's  arm,  si- 
lent, as  if  her  soul  were  going  down  in  the  cage.  There 
went  blue-eyed  Tim  Rafferty  to  look  for  his  father,  and 
black-eyed  "  Andy,"  the  Greek  boy,  whose  father  had  per- 
ished in  a  similar  disaster  years  ago;  there  went  Rovetta, 
and  Carmino,  the  pit-boss,  Jerry's  cousin.  One  by  one 
their  names  ran  through  the  crowd,  as  of  heroes  marching 
out  to  battle. 


§  18.  Looking  about,  Hal  saw  some  of  the  guests  of  the 
Harrigan  party.  There  was  Vivie  Cass,  standing1 'under 
an  umbrella  with  Bert  Atkins;  and  there  was  Bob  Ores1 
ton  with  Dicky  Everson.  '  These  two  had  on  riiackin- 
toshes  and  water-proof  hats,  and  were  talking  to  Cart- 
wright;  tall,  immaculate  men,  who  seemed  like  creatures 
of  another  world  beside  the  stunted  and  coal-smutted 
miners. 

Seeing  Hal,  they  moved  over  to  him.  "  Where  did  you 
get  the  kid  ?  "  inquired  Bob,  his  rosy,  smooth-shaven  face 
breaking-1  into  a  smile. 

"  I  picked  him  up,"  said  Hal,  giving  Little  Jerry  a  toss 
and. sliding  him  off  his  shoulder. 

"  Hello,  kid !"  said  Bob. 

And  the  answer  came  promptly,  "Hello,  yourself !  " 
Little  Jerry  knew  how  to  talk  American ;  he  was  a  match 


18 


262  KING  COAL 

for  any  society  man !  "  My  father's  went  down  in  that 
cage/7  said  he,  looking  up  at  the  tall  stranger,  his  bright 
black  eyes  sparkling.  • 

"  Is  that  so !  "  replied  the  other.  "  Why  don't  you 
go?" 

"My  father'll  get  'em  out.  He  ain't  afraid  o'  nothin', 
my  father !  " 

"  \Vhat's  your  father's  name  ?  " 

"  Big  Jerry." 

"  Oho !     And  what'll  you  be  when  you  grow  up  ?• " 

"  I'm  goin'  to  be  a  shot-firer." 

"In  this  mine?," 

"You  bet  not!" 

"Why  not?" 

Little  Jerry  looked  mysterious.  "  I.  ain't  tellin'  all  I 
know,"  said  he. 

The  two  young  fellows  laughed.  Here  was  education 
for  them !  "  Maybe  you'll  go  back  to  the  old  country  \  " 
put  in  Dicky  Ever  son. 

"  !N"o,  sir-ee !  "  said  Little  Jerry.     "  I'm  American." 

"•  Maybe  you'll  be  president  some  day." 

"  That's  what  my  father  says,"  replied  the  little  chap  — 
"  president  of  a  miners'  union." 

Again  they  laughed;  but  Rosa  gave  a  nervous  whisper 
and  caught  at  the  child's  sleeve.  That  was  not  the  sort 
of  thing  to  say  to  mysterious  and  rich-looking  strangers! 
"  This  is  Little  Jerry's  mother,  Mrs.  Minetti,"  put  in  Hal, 
by  way  of  reassuring  her. 

"  Qlad  to  meet  you,  Mrs.  Minetti,"  said  the  two:  young 

-men,  taking  off  their  hats  with  elaborate  bows;  they  stared, 

for  Rosa  was  a  pretty  object  as  she  blushed  and  made  her 

shy  response.     She  was  much  embarrassed,  having  never 

before  in  her  life  been  bowed  to  by  men  like  these. 

And  here  they  were  greeting  Joe  Smith  as  an  old  friend, 
and  calling  him  by  a  strange  name !  She  turned  her  black 
Italian  eyes  upon  Hal  in  inquiry,  and  he  felt  a  flush  creep- 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        263 

ing  over  him.  It  was  almost  as  uncomfortable  to  be  found 
out  by  Nortli  Valley  as  to  be  found  out  by  .Western  City! 

The  men. talked  about  the  rescue-work,  and  what  Cart- 
wright  had  been  telling  of  its  progress.  The  fire  was  in 
one  of  the  main  passages,  and  was  burning  out  the  timber- 
ing, spreading  rapidly  under  the  draft  from  the  reversed 
fan.  There  could  be  little  hope  of  rescue  in  this  part  of 
the  mine,  but  the  helmet-men  would  defy  the  heat  and 
smoke  in  the  burned  out  pa-ssages^  '-They  knew  how  likely 
was  the  collapse  of  such,  portions  of  the  mine;  but  also 
they  knew  that  men  had  been  working  here  before  the  ex- 
plosion. "  I  must  say  they're  a  game  lot !  "  remarked 
Dicky. 

A  group  of  women  and  children  were  gathered  about  to 
listen,  their  shyness  overcome  by  their  torturing  anxiety 
for  news.  They  made  one  think  of  women  in  war-time, 
listening  to  the  roar  of  distant  guns  and  waiting  for  the 
bringing  in  of  the  wounded.  Hal  saw  Bob  and  Dicky 
glance  now  and  then  at  the  ring  of  faces  about  them ;  they 
^were  getting  something  of. this  mood,  and  that  was  a  part 
of  what  he  had  desired  for, them. 

"  Are  the  others  coming  out  ?  "  he  asked.  . 

"  I  don't  know/'  said  Bob.  "  I  suppose  they're  having 
breakfast.  It's  time  we  went  in." 

"•Won't  you  come  with  us?  "  added  Dicky. 

"No,  thanks,"  replied  Hal,  "I've  an  engagement  with 
the  kid- here."  And  he  gave  Little  Jerry's  hand  a  squeeze. 
"  But  tell  some  of  the  other  fellows  to  come.  They'll  be 
interested  in  these  things." 

"All  right,"  said  the  two,  as  they  moved  away. 


§  19.  After  allowing  a  sufficient  time  for  the  party  in 
the  dining-car  to:  finish  breakfast,  Hal  went  down  to  the 
tracks,  and  induced  the  porter  to  take  in  his  name  to 
Percy  Harrigan.  He  was  hoping  to  persuade  Percy  to  see 


26±  KING  COAL 

the  village  under  other  than  company  chaperonage;  he 
heard  with  dismay  the  announcement  that  the  party 
had  arranged  to  depart  in  the  course  of  a  couple  of 
hours. 

"  But  you  haven't  seen  Anything  at  all !  "  Hal  pro- 
tested. 

"  They  won't  let  us  into  the  mine,"  replied  the  other. 
"  What  else  is  there  we  Can  do  ?  " 

"  I  wanted  you  to  talk  to  the  people  and  learn  some- 
thing about  conditions  here.  You  ought  not  to  lose  this 
chance,  Percy !  " 

"  That's  all  right,  Hal,  hut  you  might  understand  this 
isn't  a  convenient  time.  I've"  got  a  lot  of  people  with  me, 
and  I've  no  right  to  ask  them  to  wait." 

"  But  can't  they  learn  something  also,  Percy  ?  " 

"  It's  raining,"  was  the  reply ;  "  and  ladies  would  hardly 
care  to  stand  round  in  a  crowd  and  see  dead  bodies  brought 
out  of  a  mine." 

Hal  got  the  rebuke.  Yes,  he  had  grown  Callous  since 
coming  to  North  Valley;  he  had  lost  that  delicacy  of 
feeling,  that  intuitive  understanding  of  the  sentiments  of 
ladies,  which  he  would  surely  have  exhibited  a  short  time 
earlier  in  his  life.  He  was  excited  about  this  disaster;  it 
was  a  personal  thing  to  him,  and  he  lost  sight  of  the  fact 
that  to  the  ladies  of  the  Harrigan  party  it  was,  in  its  de- 
tails, nierely  sordid  and  repelling.  If  they  went  out  in 
the  mud  and  ram  of  a  mining-village  and  stood  about  star- 
ing, they  would  feel  that  they  were  exhibiting,  not  human 
compassion,  but  idle  curiosity.  The  sights  they  would  see 
would  harrow  them  to  no  purpose;  and  incidentally  they 
would  be  exposing  themselves  to  distressing  publicity.  As 
for  offering  sympathy  to  widows  and  orphans  —  well, 
these  were  foreigners  mostly,  who  could  not  understand 
what  was  said  to  them,  and  who  might  be  more  embarrassed 
than  helped  by  the  intrusion  into  their  grief  of  persons 
from  an  alien  world. 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       265 

The  business  of  offering  sympathy  had  been  reduced  to 
a  system  by  the  civilisation  which  these  ladies  helped  to 
maintain;  and,  as  it  happened,  there  was  one  present  who 
was  familiar  with  this  system.  Mrs.  Curtis  had  already 
acted,  so  Percy  informed  Hal;  she  had  passed  about  a 
subscription-paper,  and  in  a  couple  of  minutes  over  a  thou- 
sand dollars  had  been  pledged.  This  would  be  paid  by 
check'  to  the  "  Red  Cross,"'  whose  agents  would  under- 
stand how  to  distribute  relief  among  such  sufferers.  So 
the  members  of  Percy's  party  felt  that  they  had  done  the 
proper  and  delicate  thing,  and  might  go  their  ways  with  a 
quiet  conscience. 

"  The  world  can't  stop  moving  just  because  there's  been 
a  mine-disaster,"  said  the  Coal  King's  son.  "  People  have 
engagements  they  must  keep." 

And  he  went  on  to  explain  what  these  engagements 
were.  He  himself  had  to  go  to  a  dinner  that  evening,  and 
would  barely  be  able  to  make  it.  Bert  Atkins  was  to  play 
a  challenge  match  at  billiards,  and  Mrs.  Curtis  was  to  at- 
tend a  committee  meeting  of  a  woman's  club.  Also  it  was 
the  last  Friday  of  the  month ;  had  Hal  forgotten  what  that 
meant  ? 

After  a  moment  Hal  remembered  —  the  "Young  Peo- 
ple's Night"  at  the  country  club!  He  had  a  sudden 
vision  of  the  white  colonial  mansion  on  thq;  mountain-side, 
with  its  doors  and  windows  thrown  wide,; and  the  strains 
of  an  orchestra  floating  out.  In  the  ball-room  the  young- 
ladies  of  Percy's  party  would  appear  —  Jessie,  his  sweet- 
heart, among  them  —  gowned  in  filmy  chiffons  and  laces, 
floating  in  a  mist  of  perfume  and  colour  and  music.  They 
would  laugh  and  chatter,  they  would  flirt  and  scheme 
against  one  another  for  the  sovereignty  of  the1  ball-room — 
while  here  in  North  Valley  the  spbbing  widows  would  be 
clutching  their  mangled  dead  in  their  arms !  How  strange, 
how  ghastly  it  seemed!  How  like  the  scenes  one  read  of 
on  the  eve  of  the  French  Revolution ! 


266  KING  COAL 

§  20.  Percy  wanted  Hal  to  come  away  with  the  patty. 
He  suggested  this  tactfully  at  first,  and  then,  as  Hal  did 
not  take  the  hint,  he  began  to  press  the  matter,  showing 
signs  of  irritation.  The  mine  was  open  now  •j— '  what 
more  did  Hal  want  ?  When  Hal  suggested  that  -Cart- 
wright  might  order  it  closed  again,  Percy  revealed  the 
fact  that  the  matter  was  in  his  father's  hands.  The  super- 
intendent had  sent  a  long  telegram  the  night  before,  and 
an  answer  was  due  at  any  moment.  Whatever  the  an- 
swer ordered  would  have  to  be  done. 

There  was  a  grim  look  upon  Hal's  face,  but  he 'forced 
himself  to  speak  politely.  "  If  your  father  orders  any- 
thing that  interferes  with  the  rescuing  of  the  men— ' don't 
you  see,  Percy,  that  I  have  to  fight  him  2  " 

"  But  how  can  you  fight  him  ?  " 

"With  the  one  weapon  I  have  —  publicity." 

"You  mean — "  Percy  stopped,  arid  stared. 

"  I  mean  what  I  said  before  —  I'd  turn  Billy  Keating 
loose  and  blow  this  whole  story  wide  open." 

"  Well,  by  God !  "  cried  young  Harrigan.  "  I  must  say 
I'd  call  it  damned  dirty  of  you!  You  said  you'd  not  do 
it,  if  I'd  come  here  and  open  the  mine !  " 

"But  what  good  does  it  do  to  open  it,  if  you  close  it 
again  before  the  men  are  out?  "  Hal  paused,  and  when 
he  went  on  it  was  in  a  sincere  attempt  at  apology. 
"  Percy,  don't  'imagine  I  fail  to  appreciate  the  embarrass- 
ments of  this  situation;  I  know  I  must  seem  a  cad'  to  you 
—  more  than  you've  cared  to  tell  me.  I  called  you  my 
friend  in  spite  of  all  our  quarrels.  All  I  can  do  is  to 
assure  you  that  I  never  intended  to  get  into  such  a  position 
as  this?' 

"  Well,  what  the  hell  did  you  want  to  come  here  for  ? 
You  knew  it  was  the  property,  of  a  friend — " 

"  That's  the  question  at  issue  between  us,  Percy.  Have 
you  forgotten  our  arguments?  I  tried  to  convince  you 
what  it  meant  that  you  and  I  should  own  the  things  by 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        267 

which  other  people  halve  to  live.  I  said  we  were  ignorant 
of  the  conditions  under  which  our  properties  were  worked, 
we  were  a  !bunch  of  parasites  and  idlers.  But  you  laughed 
at  me,  called  me  a  crank,  an  anarchist,  said  I  swallowed 
what  any  muck-raker  fed  me.  So  I  said :  *  I'll  go  to  one 
of  Percy's  mines !  Then,  when  he  tries  to  argue  with  me, 
I'll  have  him!  '  That  was  the  way  the  thing  started  — 
as  a  joke.  But  then  I  got  drawn  into  things.  I  don't 
want  to  be  nasty,  but  no  man  with  a  drop  of  red  blood  in 
his  \Teins  could  stay  in  this  place  a  week  without  wanting 
to  fight !  That's  why  I  want  you  to  stay  —  you  ought  to 
stay,  to  meet  some  of  the  people  and  see  for  yourself." 

"Well,  I  can't  stay,"  said  the  other,  coldly.  "And 
all  I  can  tell  you  is  that  I  wish  you'd  go  somewhere  else 
to  do  your  sociology." 

"  But  where  could  I  go,  Percy?  Somebody  owns  every- 
thing. If  it's  a  big  thing,  it's  almost  certain  to  be  some- 
body we  know." 

Said  Percy,  "  If  I  might  make  a  suggestion,  you  could 
have  begun  with  the  coal-mines  of  the  Warner  Company." 

Hal  laughed.  "  You  may  be  sure  Ia  thought  of  that, 
Percy.  B.ut  see  the  situation !  If  I  was  to  accomplish 
my  purpose,  it  was  essential  that  I  shouldn't  be  known, 
-And  I  had  met  some  of  my  father's  superintendents  in  his 
office,  and  I  knew  they'd  recognise  me.  So  I  had  to  go  to 
some  other  mines." 

"  Most  fortunate  for  the  Warner  Company,"  replied 
Percy,  in  an  ugly  tone. 

Hal  answered,  gravely,  "  Let  me  tell  you,  I  don't  intend 
to  leave  the  Warner  Company  permanently  out  of  my  so- 
ciology." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  other,  "  all  I  can  say  is  that  we  pass 
one  of  their  properties  on  our  way  back,  and  nothing  would 
please  me  better  than  to  stop  the  train  and  let  you'off !  " 

§  21.     Hal  went   into  the  drawing-room   car.     There 


.268  .KING  GOAL 

wore  ^Irs.  Curtis  and  Reggie  Porter,  playing  bridge  with 
Genevieve  Halsey  and  young  JSversou.  Bob'  Creston  was 
chatting  w^th  .Betty  Gunnison,  telling  her  what  he  had 
seen  outside,  no  doubt.  Bert  Atkins  was  looking  over  the 
morning  paper,  yawning.  Hal  went  on,  seeking  Jessie 
Arthur,  and  found  her  in  one  of  the  compartments  of  the 
car,  looking  out  of  the  rain-drenched  window  —  learning 
about  a  mining-camp  in  the  manner  permitted  to  young 
ladies  of  her  class. 

He  expected  to  find  her  in  a  disturbed  state  of  mind, 
and  was  prepared  to  apologise.  But  when  he  met- the  look 
of  distress  she  turned  upon  him,  he  did  not  know  just 
where  to  begin.  He/  tried  to  speak  casually — -he  had 
heard  she  was  going  away.  But  she  caught  him  by  the 
hand,  exclaiming:  "  Hal,  you  are  coming  with  us.!  " 

He  did. not, answer  for  a  moment,  but  sat  down  by  her. 
"  Have  I  made  you  suffer  so  much,  Jessie  ?  " 

He  saw  tears  start  into  her  eyes.  "Haven't  you  Jcnoicn 
you  were  making  me  suffer  ?  Here,  I  was  as  Percy's  guest ; 
and  to  have  you  put  such  questions  to. me  !  What  could  I 
say?  What  do  I  know  about  the  way  Mr.  PIai;rigan 
should  run  his  business  ?  "• 

"  Yes,  dear,"  he  said,  humbly.  "  Perhaps  I  shouldn't 
have  drawn  you  into  it.  But  the  matter  was  . so  compli- 
cated and  so  sudden.  Can't  you  understand  that,  and 
forgive  me  ?  Everything  has  turned  out  so  well !  " 

But  she  did  not, "think  that  everything  had  turned  out 
well.  "  In  the  first  place,  for  you  to  be  here,  in  such  a 
plight !  And  when  I  thought  you  were  hunting  mountain- 
goats  in  Mexico!  " 

He  could  not  help  laughing;  but v Jessie  had  not  even  a 
smile.  "  And  then  —  to  have  you  drag  our  love  into  the 
t[nng,  there  before  every  one !  " 

"  Was  that  really  so  terrible,  Jessie?  " 

She  looked  at  him  with  amazement.  That  lie,  Hal 
Warner,  could  have,  done  such  a  thing,  and  not  realise  how 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        269 

terrible  it  was !  To  put  her  in  a  position  where  she  had  to 
break  either  the  laws  of -love  or  the  laws  of  good-breeding ! 
Why,  it  had  amounted  to  a  public  quarrel.  It  would  be 
the  talk  of  the  town  —  there  was  no  end  to  the  embarrass- 
ment of  it ! 

"But,  sweetheart!"  argued  Hal.  "Try  to  see  the 
reality  of  this  thing  — •  think  about  those  people  in  the 
mine.  You  really  must  do  that !  " 

She  looked  at  him/  and  noticed  the  new,  grim  lines  that 
had  come  upon  his  youthful  face.  Also,  she  caught  the 
note  of  suppressed  passion  in  his  voice.  He 'was  pale  and 
weary  looking,  in  dirty  clothes,  his  hair  unkempt  and  his 
face  only  half  washed.  It  was  terrifying  —  as  if  he  had 
gone  to  war. 

""  Listen  to  me,  Jessie/'  he  insisted.  "  I  want  you  to 
know  about  these  things.  If  you  and  I  are  ever  to  make 
each  other  happy,  you  must  try  to  grow  up  with  me.  -That 
was  why  I  was  glad  to  have  you  here — you  would  have 
a  chance  to  see  for  yourself.  Now  I  ask  you  not  to  go 
without  seeing.'7 

"  But  I  have  to' go,  Hal.  I  can't  ask  Percy  Harrigan 
to  stay  and  inconvenience  everybody!  " 

"  You  can  stay  without  him.  You  can  ask  one  of  the 
ladies  to  chaperon  you.7' 

She  gazed  at  him  in  dismay.  "Why,  Hal!  What  a 
thing  to  suggest !  " 

"Why  so ?" 
I    "  Think  how  it  would  look !  " 

"  I  can't  think  so  much  about  looks,  dear  — " 
i    She  broke  in :     "  Think  what  Mamma  would  say !  " 

"She  wouldn't  like  it,  I  know — " 

"  She  would  be  wild!  She  would  never  forgive  either 
of  us.  She  would  never  forgive  any  one  who  stayed  with 
me.  And  what  would  Percy  say,  if  I  came  here  as  his 
gues*,  and  stayed  to  spy  on  him : and  his  father?  Don't 
you  see  how  preposterous  it  would  be?  " 


2TO  KING  COAL 

Yes,  he  saw.  He  was  defying  all  the  conventions  of 
her  worldj  and  it  seemed  to  her  a  course  of  madness.  She,1 
clutched  his  hands  in  hers,  and  the  tears  ran  down  -her 
cheeks.  > 

"  Hal/'  she  cried,  "  I  can't  leave  you  in  this  'dreadful 
place!  You  look  like  a  ghost,  and  a,  scarecrow,  too!  I 
want  you  to  go  and  get  some  decent  clothes  and  ,coine  home 
on  this  train." 

But  he  shook  his  head.     "  It's  not  possible,  Jessie.' 

"  Why  not  ?" 

"  Because  I  have  a  duty  to  do  here.  Can't  you  tind< 
stand,, dear?  All  my  life,  I've  been  living  on  the  labour 
of  coalf-miners,  and  I've  never  taken  the  trouble  to  go  near 
them,  to  see  how  my  money  was  got !  " 

"  But,  Hal !,  These  aren't  your  people !  ^They  are  Mr. 
Harrigan's  people !  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  but  it's  all  the  same.  Tliey  toil,  and, 
we  live  on  their  toil,  and  take  it  as  a  matter  of  course."  I 

"  But  what  can  one  do  about  it,  Hal  ?  " 

"  One  can  understand  it,  if  nothing  else'.  And  you  see 
what  I  was  able  to  do  in  this  case—  to  get  the  mine  open." 

"Hal,"  she  'exclaimed,  ".I  can't  understand  you! 
You've  -  become  so  cynical,  you  don't  believe  in  any  one! 
You're  quite  convinced  that  these  officials  meant  to  murder 
their  working  people !  As  if  Mr.  Harrigan  would  let  his 
mines  be  run  that  way !  " 

"  Mr.  Harrigan,  Jessie  ?  He  passes  the  collection,  plate 
at  St.  George's!  That's  the  only  place  you've  ever  seen 
him,  and  that's  all  you  know  about  him." 

"  I  know  what  everybody  says,  Hal !  Papa  knows  him, 
and  my  brothers  —  yes,  your  own  brother^  too!  Isn't  it 
true  that  Edward  would  disapprove  what  you're  doing?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,  I  fear  so." 

"  And  you  set  yourself  up  against 'them  —  against 
everybody  you  know  I  Is  it  reasonable  to  think  the  older 
people  are  all  wrong,  and  only  you  are  right  ?  Isn't  it  at 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL       271 

least  possible; .you're  making  a  mistake?  Think  about  it 
—  honestly,  Hal,  for  my  sake !  " 

She  was  looking  at  him  pleadingly;  and  he  leaned  for- 
ward and  took  her  hand.  "  Jessie,"  he  said,  his  voice 
trembling,  "  I  know  that  these  working  people  are  op- 
pressed ;  I  know  it,  because  I  have  been  one  of  them !  And 
I  know  that  such  iri'en  as  Peter  Harrigan,  and  even  my  own 
brother,  are  to  blame!  And  they've  ^ot  to  be  faced  by 
some  one  —  they've  got  to  be  made  to  see !  I've  come  to 
see  it  clearly  this  summer  —  that's  the  job  I  have  to  do!  " 

She  was  gazing  at  him  with  her  wide-open,  beautiful 
eyes ;  underneath  her  protests  and  her  terror,  she  was  thrill- 
ing with  awe  at  this  amazing  madman  she  loved.  "  They 
will  kill  you !  "  she  cried. 

"  No, "dearest  • — you  don't  need  to  worry  about  that  — 
I  don't  think  they'll  kill  me." 

"But  they  shot  at  you!  " 

"  No,  they  shot  at  Joe  Smith,  a  miner's  buddy.  ,  They 
won't  shoot  at  the  son  of  a  millionaire  *-^  not  in  America, 
Jessie." 

''.But  some  dark  night  — " 

"  Set  your  mind  at  rest,"  he  said,  "  IVe  got  Percy  tied 
up  in  this,  and  everybody  knows  it.  There's  no  way  they 
could  kill  me:  without  the  whole  story's  coming  out  —  and 
8<D  I'm  as  safe -as  I  would  be  in  my  bed  at  home !  ". 


•  §;22.  Hal  was  still  possessed  by  his  idea  that  Jessie 
must  be  taught  —  she  must  have  knowledge  forced  upon 
her,  whether  she  would  or  no.  The  train  would  not  start 
for  a  couple,  of  hours,  and  he  tried  to  think  of  some  use 
he  could  make  of  that  precious  interval.  He  recalled  that 
Rosa,. Hi  net  ti  had  returned  to  her  cabin  to.  attend  to  her 
baby.  A  sudden  vision  came  to  him  of  Jessie  in  that  little 
homo.  Rosa  was.  sweet  and  good,  and  assuredly  Little 
Jerry  was  a  "  winner." 


272  KING  COAL 

"  Sweetheart/'  he  said,  "  I  wish  you'd  came  for  a  walk 
with  me." 

"But  it's  raining,  Hal!" 

"  It  won't  hurt  you  to  spoil  one  dress;  you  have  plenty." 

"  I'm  not  thinking  of  that  — " 

"  I  wish  you'd  come." 

"  I  don't  feel  comfortable  about  it,  Hal.  I'm  here  as 
Percy's  guest,  and  lie  mightn't  like  — " 

"  I'll  ask  him  if  he  objects  to  your  taking  a  stroll,"  he 
suggested^  with  pretended  gravity. 

"  No,  no!  That  would  make  it  worse!  "  Jessie  had 
no  humour  whatever  about  these  matters. 

"•  Well,  Vivie  Cass  was  out,  and  some  of  the  others  are 
going.  He  'hasn't  objected  to  that." 

"  I  know,  Hal.     But  he  knows  they're  all  right." 

Hal  laughed.  "  Come  on,  Jessie.  Percy  won't  hold1 
you  for  my  sins!  You  have  a  long  train  journey  before 
you,  and  some  fresh  air  will  be  good  for  you." 

She  saw  that  she  must  make  some  concession  to  him,  if 
she  was  to  keep  any  of  her  influence  over  him. 

"  All  right,"  she  said,  with  resignation,  and  disappeared 
and  returned  with  a  heavy  veil  over  her  face,  to  conceal 
her  from  prying  reportorial  eyes;  also  an  equipment  of: 
mackintosh,  umbrella  and  overshoes,  against  the  rain. 
The  two  stole  out  of  the  car,  feeling  like  a  couple  of  crimi- 
nals. 

Skirting  the  edge  of  the  throng  about  the  pit-mouth,  they 
came  to  the  muddy,  impaved  quarter  in  which  the  Italians 
had  their  homes ;  he  held  her  arm,  steering  her  through 
the  miniature  sloughs  and  creeks.  It  was  thrilling  to  him 
to  have  her  with  him  thus,  to  see  her  sweet  face  and  hear 
her  voice  full  of  love.  Many  a  time  he  had  thought  of  her 
here,  and  told  her  in  his  imagination  of  his  experi- 
ences ! 

He  told  her  now  —  about  the  Minetti  family,  :and  how 
he  had  met  Big  and  Little  Jerry  on  the  street,  and  how 


THE  HENCHMEX  OF  KING  COAL        273 

they  had  taken  him  in,  and  then  been  driven  by  fear  to 
let  him  go  again.  He  told  his  check-weighman  story,  and 
was  telling  how  Jeff  Cotton  bad  arrested  him;  but  they 
came  to  the  Minetti  cabin,  and  the  terrifying  narrative 
was  cut  short. 

It  was  Little  Jerry  who  came  to  the  door,  with  the  re- 
mains of  breakfast  distributed  upon  his  cheeks;  he  stared 
Jn  wonder  at  the-  mysteriously  veiled  figure.  Entering, 
they  saw  Eosa  sitting  in  a  chair  nursing  her  baby.  She 
rose  in  confusion;  but  she  did  not  quite  like  to  turn  her 
back  upon  her  guests,  so  she  stood  trying  to  hide  her 'breast 
as  best  she  could,  blushing  and  looking  very  girlish  and 
pretty;. -B 

Hal  introduced  Jessie,  as  an  old  friend  who  was  in- 
terested to  meet  his  new  friends,  and  Jessie  threw  back  her 
veil  and  sat  down.  Little  Jerry  wiped  off  his  face  at  his 
mother's  command,  and:then  came  where  he  could  stare  at 
this  incredibly  lovely  vision.  x 

"  I've  been  telling  Miss  Arthur  what  good  care  you  took 
of  me,"  said  Hal  to  Rosa.  "  She  wanted  to  come  and 
thank  you  for  it." 

"  Yes,"  added  Jessie,  graciously.  "  Anybody  who  is 
good  to  Hal  earns  m'y  gratitude." 

Rosa  started  to  murmur  something;  but  Little  Jerry 
broke  in,  with  his  cheerful;  voice,  "Why  you  call  him 
Hal?  His  name's  Joe!" 

"  Ssh  1  "  cried  Rosa.  But  Hal  and  Jessie  laughed  — 
and  so  the  process  of  Americanising  Little  Jerry  was  con- 
tinued, 

"  I've  got  lots  of  names,"  said  Hal.  "  They  called  me 
Hal  when  I  was  a  kid  like  you." 

"  Did  she  know  you  then?  "  inquired  Little  Jerry. 

"  Yes,  indeed." 
.  "  Is  she  your  girl  ?  " 

Rosa  laughed  shyly,  and  Jessie  blushed,  and  looked 
charming.  She  realised  vaguely  a  difference  in  manners. 


274  KING  COAL 

These  people  accepted  the  existence  of  •"  girls/'  not  con- 
cealing their  interest  in  the1  phenomenon, 

"  It's  a  secret,"  warned  Hal.     "  Don't  you  tell  on  us!  •" 

"I  can  keep  a  secret,"  said  Little  Jerry.  After  a 
moment's  pause  he  added,  dropping  his  voice,-"  You  gotta 
keep  secrets  if  you  work  in  North  Valley." 

"  You  bet  your  life,"  said  H'al. 

"'My   father's   a   Socialist/'   continued  the   other, 
dressing  Jessie;   then,   since   one   thing  leads   on  to 
other,  "  My  father's  :a  shot-firer." 
3   "What's  a ' shot-firer ?"  asked  Jessie,  by  way  of 
sociable. 

"  Jesus !  "  exclaimed  Little  Jerry.  "  Don't  you  know 
nothiii'  about  minin'  s{  " 

"No,",  said  Jessie.     "  You  tell  me." 

"•  You  couldn't  get  no  coal  without  a  shot-firer/'  de- 
clared Little  Jerry.  "You  gotta -get  ,a  good  one,  too,  or 
maybe  you  bust  up /the  mine.  My  father's  :the  best  they 
got." 

"What  does  he  do?" 

"  Well,  they  got  a  drill  —  long,  long,  like  this,  all  the 
way  across  the  room;  and  they  turn  it  and  bore  holes  in 
the  coal.  Sometimes  they, got  machines  to  drill,  only  we 
don't  like  them  machines,  'cause  it  takes  the  men's  jobs. 
When  they  got  the  holes,  .then  the  shot-firer  comes  and 
sets  off  the  powder.  You  gotta  have — "and  here  Little 
Jerry  slowed  up,  pronouncing  each  .syllable  very  care- 
fully— -"  per-miss-i-ble  powder  —  what  don't  make  no 
flame.  Arid  you  gotta  know  just  how  much  to  put  in. 
If  you  put  in  too  much,  you  smash  the  coal,  and  the  miner 
raises  hell ;  if  you  don't  put  in  enough,  you  make  too  much 
work  for  him,  an'  he  raises  hell  again.  So  you  gotta  get 
a  good  shot-firer." 

Jessie  looked  at  Hal,  and  he  saw  that  her  dismay  was 
mingled  with  genuine  amusement.  He  judged  this  a 
good  way  ;for  her  to  get  her  education,  so  he  proceeded  io 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        275 

draw  out  Little  Jerry  on  other  aspects  of  coal-mining:  on 
short  weights  and  long  hours,  grafting  bosses  and  camp- 
marshals/  company-stores  and  boarding-houses,  Socialist 
•agitators  and  union  organisers.  Little  Jerry  talked  freely 
of  the  secrets  of  the  camp.  "  It's  all  right  for  you  to 
know/'  he  remarked  gravely.  "  You're  Joe's  girl !  " 

"  You  little  cheru*b !  "  exclaimed  Jessie. 

"  What's  a  cherub  ?  "  was  Little  Jerry's  reply. 


§  23.  So  the  time  passed  in  a  way  that  was  pleasant. 
Jessie  was  completely  won  by  this  little  Dago  mine-urchin, 
in  spite  of  all  his  frightful  curse-words ;  and  Hal  saw  that 
she  was  won,  and  was  delighted  by  the  success  of  this  ex- 
periment in  social  amalgamation.  He  could  not  read 
Jessie's  mind,  and  realise  that  underneath  her  genuine  de- 
light were  reservations  born  of  her  prejudices,  the  in- 
stinctive cruelty  of  caste.  Yes,  this  little  mine  chap  was  a 
cherub,  now ;  but  how  about  when  he  grew  big  ?  He  would 
grow, ugly  and  coarse-looking,  in  ten  years  one  would  not 
kriow  him  from  any  other  of  the  rough  and  dirty  men  of 
the  village.  Jessie  took  the  fact  that  common  people  grow 
Ugly  as  they  mature  as  a  proof  that  they  are,  in  -some  deep 
and  permanent  way,  the  inferiors  of  those  above  them. 
Hal  was  throwing  away  his  time  and  strength,  trying  to 
make  them  into  something  which  Nature  h#d  obviously  not 
intended  them  to  be!  She  decided  to  make  that  point  to 
Hal  on  their  way  back  to  the  train.  She  realised  that  he 
liiid  brought  her  herte  to  educate  her;  like  all  the  rest  of 
the  world,  she  resented  forcible  education,  and  she  was  not 
withoilt  'hope  that  sfye  might  turn  the  tables  and  educate 
Hal. 

Pretty  sootf  Rosa  finished  nursing  the  baby,  and  Jessie 
remarked  the '"little  one's  black  eyes.  This  topic  broke 
'down  the  mother's  shyness,  arid  they  were  chatting  pleas- 
antly, when  suddenly  they  heard  sounds  outside  which 


276  KING  COAL  ] 

caused ;  them  to  start  up.  , It. was  a  clamour  of  women's 
voices;  and  Hal  and  Rosa  sprang  to  the  door.  Just  now 
was  a  critical  time,  when  every  one  was  on  edge  for  .news. 

Hal  threw  open  the  door  and  called  to  those  outside, 
"  What  is  it?"  There1  came,,  a,. response,  in  a  woman's 
voice,  "  They've  found  Rafferty!" 

"  Alive  ? " 

"  Nobody  knows  yet." 

"  Where?" 

"  In  Room  Seventeen.  Eleven  of  them  —  Rafter ty, 
and  young  Flanagan,  and  Johanneon,,  .the  Swede. 
.They're  near  dead— can't  speak,  they  say.  They  won't 
let  anybody  near  them." 

Other  voices  brok0  in;  butjthe  one  which  answered  Hal 
had  a  different  quality;  it  was  a  warm,  rich  voice,  un- 
mistakably Irish,  and  it  held  Jessie's  attention.  "  They've 
got  them  in  the  tipple-room,  a,nd  the  women  want  to  know 
about  their;  <  men,  and  they  won't  tell  them.  They're 
:beatin'  them  back  like  dogs !" 

I  There  was  a  tumult  of  weeping,  and  Hal  stepped  out 
of  the  cabin,  and  in  a  minute  or  so  he  entered  again,  sup- 
porting on  his  arm  a  girl,  clad  in  a  faded  blue  calico  dress, 
and  having  a  head  of  very  conspicuous  red  hair.  She 
seemed  half  -fainting,  and;  kept  moaning  that  , it  was  hor- 
rible}, horrible.  Hal  led  her  to  a  chair,  and  she^sank  into 
it  and  hid* her  face  in  her  hands,  sobbing,  talking  inco- 
herently between  her  sobs. 

Jessie  stood  looking  at  this  girl.  She  felt  the  in- 
tensity of  her  excitement,  and.  shared  it;  yet  at  the  same 
time -there  was  something  in  Jessie  that  resented  it.  She 
did  not  wish  to  be  upset  about  things  like1  this,  which  she 
could  not  help.  Of  course  these  unfortunate  people  .wene 
suffering;  but  —  what  a  shocking,  lot  of;  noise  the  poor 
thing  was  making!  A  part  of  the. poor  thing's  excitement 
was  *rage,,  and  Jessie  realised  that,  and  resented  it.  stillt 
more;  It  was  as  if  it  were. a  personal  challenge  to  her ;  the 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        27Y 

same  as  Hal's  fierce  social  passions,  which  so  bewildered 
and  shocked  her. 

"  They're  beatin'  the  women  .back  like <  dogs  I"  the  girl 
repeated. 

"  Mary/7  said  Hal,  trying  to  soothe  her,  "  the  doctors 
will  be  doing  their  best.  The  women  couldn't  expect 'to 
'crowd  'about  them !  " 

"  Maybe  they  couldn't ;  but  that's  not  it,  Joe,  and  ye 
•know  it !  They  been  bringin'  up  dead  bodies,  some  they 
found  where  the  explosion  was  —  blown  all  to  pieces. 
And  they  won't  let  anybody  see  them.  Is  that  because  of 
the  doctors?  No, it  ain't !  It's  because  they  want  to  tell 
lies  about  the  number  killed !  They  want  to  count  four  or 
five  legs  to  a  man !  And  that's  what's  drivin'  the  women 
crazy!  I  saw  Mrs.  Zamboni,  tryin'  to  get  into  the  shed, 
and  Pete  Hanun  caught  her  by  the  breasts  and  shoved  her 
back.  '-I  want  my  man  !  '  she  screamed.  '  Well,  what  do 
you  want  him  for  ?  He's  all  in  pieces !  '  'I  want  the 
pieces!  '  (  What  good'll  they ' do  you?  Are  you  goin*  to 
eat  him  ? '  " 

There  were  cries  of  horror  now,  even  from  Jessie ;  and 
the  strange  girl  hid  her  face  in  her  hands  and  began  to 
sob  again.  Hal  put  his  hand  gently  on  her  arm. 
"Mary,"  he  pleaded,  "it's  not  so  bail  —  at  least  they're 
getting  the  people  out." 

"  How  do  ye  know  what  they're  doin'  ?  They  might  be 
sealin'  up  parts  of  the  mine  down  below!  That's  what 
makes  it  so  horrible  —  nobody  knows  what's  happenin' ! 
Ye  should  have  heard  poor  Mrs.  RafTerty  screamin'.  Joe, 
it  went  through  me  like  a  knife;  Just  think,  it's  been  half 
an  hour  since  they  brought  him  up,  and  the  poor  lady  can't 
be  told  if  her  man  is  alive." 


§  24.     Hal  stood  for  a  few  moments  in  thought.     He 
was  surprised  that  such  things  should  be  happening  while 

19 


278  .KING  COAL 

Percy  Harrigan's  train  was  in  the  village.  lie  was  con- 
sidering whether  he  should  go  to  Percy,  or  whether  a  hint 
to  Cotton  or  Cartwright  would  not  he  sufficient. 

"  Mary,"  he  said,  in  a  quiet  voice,  "  you  needn't  distress 
yourself  so.  ."We  can  get  better  treatment  for  the  women, 
I'm  .sure,'7 

But  her  sobhing  went  on.  "  What  can  ye  do  ?  i  They're 
bound  to  have 'their  way  !  " 

"  No,"  said  Hal.  "There's  a  difference  now.  ..  Be* 
lieve  me — -something  can  be  done.  I'll  step  over  and 
have  a  word  with  Jeff  .Cotton." 

He  started  towards  the  door ;  but,  j  there  c.uuo  a ;  cry : 
".Hal.1  "  It  was  Jessie,  whom  he  had  almost  forgotten  in 
his  sudden  anger  at  the  bosses. 

At  her  protest  he  turned  ;and  looked  at  her;  tljen  he 
looked  at  Mary:  He  saw  the  latter's  hands  fall  from  'her 
tear-stained  face,  and  her,  expression  of  griei'  give  way  to 
one  of  wonder.  >"Hal!" 

"  Excuse  me,"  he  said,  quickly.  "  Miss  Burke,  this  is 
my  friend,  Miss  Arthur."  Then,  not  quite  sur.e  if  this 
was  a  satisfactory  introduction,  he  added,  •"  Jessie,  this  is 
my  friend,  Mary." 

Jessie's  training  could  not  fail  in  any  emergency. 
"  Miss  Burke,"  she  said,  and"  smiled1  with  perfect 
politeness.  But  Mary  said  nothing,  and  the  strained  look 
did  not  leave  her  face. 

In  the  first  excitement  she  had  almost  failed  to  notice 
this  stranger;  but  now  she  stared,  and  realisation  grew 
upon  her.  Here  was  a  girl,  beautiful  with  a  kind  of 
beauty  hardly  to  be  conceived  of.  in  a  mining-camp-;  re- 
served, yet  obviously  .expensive  —  «ven  in  a  mackintosh 
and  rubber-shoes.  Mary  was  used  to  the  expensiv'eness  'of 
Mrs.  O'Callahan,  but  here  was  a  new  kind  of  expensive- 
ness,  subtle  and  compelling,  strangely  unconscious.  And 
she  laid  claim  to  Joe, .Smith,  the  miner's  buddy!  She 
called  him  by  a  name  hitherto  unknown  to  his  North 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        279 

Valley  associates!  It  needed  no  word  from  Little  Jerry 
to  guide  Mary's  instinct;  she  knew  in  a  flash  that  here  was 
the  "  other  girl." 

Mary  was  seized  with  sudden  acute  consciousness  of  the 
blue  calico  dress,  patched  at  the  shoulder  and  stained  with 
grease-spots ;  of  her  hands,  big  and  rough  with  hard  labour  ; 
of  her  feet,  clad  in  shoes  worn  sideways  at  the  heel,  and 
threatening  to  break  out  at  the  toes.  And  as  for  Jessie, 
she  too  had  the  woman's  instinct ;  she  too  saw  a  girl  who 
was  beautiful,  with  a  kind  of  beauty  of  which  which  she 
did  not  approve,  but  which  she  could  not  deny  —  the 
beauty  of  robust  health,  of  abounding  animal  energy. 
Jessie  was  not1  unaware  of  the  nature  of  her  own.  charms, 
having  been  carefully  educated  to  conserve  them ;  nor  did 
she  fail  to  make  note  of  the  other 'girl's  handicaps  —  the 
patched  and  greasy  dress,  the  big  rough  hands, -the  shoes 
worn,  sideways.  But  even  so,  she  realised  that  "  Red 
Mary  "  had  a  quality  which  she  lacked  —  that  beside  this 
wild  rose  of  a  mining-camp,  she,  Jessie  Arthur,  might  pos- 
sibly seem  a  garden  flower,  fragile  and  insipid. 

She  had  seen  Hal  lay  his  hand  upon  Mary's  arm,  and 
heard  her  speak  to  him.  She  called  him  Joe!  And  a 
sudden  fear  had  leaped  into  Jessie's  heart. 

Like  many  girls  who  have  been  delicately  reared,  Jessie 
Arthur  knew  more  than  she  admitted,  even  to  herself. 
She  knew  enough  to  realise  that  young  men  with  ample 
means  and  leisure  are  not  always  saints  and  ascetics. 
Also,  she  had  heard  the  remark  many  times  made  that 
these  women  of  the  lower  orders  had  "  no  morals."  Just 
what  did  such  a  remark  mean  ?  What  would  be  the  atti- 
tude of  such  a  girl  as  Mary  Burke  —  full-blooded  and 'in- 
tense, dissatisfied  with  her  lot  in  life  —  to  a  man  of  culture 
and  charm  like  Hal  ?  She  would  covet  him,  of  course ;  no 
woman  who  knew  him  could  fail  to  covet  him.  And  she 
would  try  to  steal  him  away  from  his  friends,  from  the 
world  to  which  he  belonged,  the  future  of  happiness  and 


280  KING  COAL 

ease  to  which  he  was  entitled.  She  would  have  powers  — 
dark  and  terrible  powers,  all  the  more  appalling  to  Jessie 
because  they  were  mysterious.  Might  they  possibly  be 
able. to  overcome  even  the  handicap  of  a  dirty  calico  dress, 
of  big  rough  hands  and  shoes  worn  sideways'? 

These  reflections,  which  have  taken  many  words  to  ex- 
plain,' came  to  Jessie  in  one  flash  of  intuition.  She  under- 
stood now,  all  at  once?  the  incomprehensible  phenomenon 
—  that  Hal  should  leave  friends  and  home  and  career,  to 
come  and  live  amid  this  squalor  and  suffering!  She  saw 
the  old  drama  of  the  soul  of  man,  heaven  and  hell  con- 
tending for  mastery  of  \t ;  and  she  knew  that  she  was 
heaven,- and  that  this-"  Red  Mary  "  was  hell. 

She  looked  at  Hal.  •.  He  seemed  to  her  so  fine  and  true ; 
his  face  was  frank,  he  was  the  soul  of  honourableness. 
No,  it  was  impossible  to  believe  that  he  had  yieldeol  to 
s'uch  a  lure!  If  that  had  been  the  case,  he  would  never 
have  brought  her  to  this  cabin,  he  would  never  have 
taken -a  chance  of  her  meeting  the  girl.  No;  but  he 
might  be  struggling  against  temptation,  he  might  be  in  the 
toils  of  it,  and  only  half  aware  of  it.  He  was  a  man,  and 
therefore  blind;  he  was  a  dreamer,  and  it  would  be  like 
him  to  idealise  this  .girl,  calling  her(na-i've  and  primitive, 
thinking  that  she  had  no  wiles !  Jessie  ria'd  come  just  in. 
time  to  save  him !  And  she  would  fight  to  save  him  - — 
using  wiles  more  subtle  than  those  at  the  command  of 
any  mining-camp  hussy ! 


§•25.  It  was  the  surging  up  in  Jessie  Arthur  of  that 
instinctive  self,  the  creature  of  hereditary  cruelty,  of  the 
existence  of  which  Hal  had  no  idea.  She  drew  back,  and 
there  was  a  quiet  liautenr  in  her  tone  as  she  spoke.  "  Hal, 
come  here,  please." 

He  came;  and  she  waited  until  he  was'  close  enough  for 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        281 

intimacy,  arid  then  said,  "  Have  you  forgotten  you  have  to 
take  me  back  to  the  train  S" 

"  .Can't. -you  come  with  me  for  a  few  minutes?  "  he 
pleaded.  "  It  would  have  such  a  good  effect  if  you  did." 

"  I  can't  go  into  that  crowd,"  she  answered;  and  sud- 
denly her  voice  trembled,  and  the  tears  came  into  her 
sweet  brown  eyes.  "  Don't  you  know,  Hal,  that  I  couldn't 
stand  such  terrible  sights?.  This  poor  girl  —  she  is  used 
to  them  —  she  is  hardened!  But  I  —  I  —  oh,  take  me 
away,  take  me  away,  dear  Hal!  "  This  cry  of  a  woman 
for  protection  came  with  a  familiar  echo  to  Hal's  mind. 
He  did  not  stop  to  think  —  he  was  moved  by  it  instinct- 
ively. Yes,  :he  had  exposed  the  girl  he  loved  to  suffering  1 
He  had  meant  it  for  her  own  good,  but  even  so,  it  was 
cruel! 

He  stood  close  to  her,  and  saw  the  love-light  in  her  eyes ; 
he  saw  the  tears,  the  trembling  of  her  sensitive  chin.  She 
swayed  to  him,  and  he  caught  her  in  his  arms  —  and  there, 
before  these  witnesses,  she  let  him  press  her  to  himy  while 
she  sobbed  and  whispered  her  distress.  She  had  been  shy 
of  caresses  hitherto, .watched  and  admonished  by  an  expe- 
rienced mother ;- certainly  she  had  never  before  made  what 
could  by  the  remotest  stretch  of  the  imagination  be  con- 
sidered ari  advance  towards  him.  But 'now  she  made  it, 
and  there  was  a  cry  of  triumph  in  her  soul  as" she  saw  that 
he  responded  'to  it.  He  was  still  hers  —  and  these  low 
people  should  know  it,  this  "  otHer  girl  "  should  know  it! 

Yet,  in  the  midst  of  this  very  exultation,  Jessie  Arthur 
really  felt  the  grief  she  expressed  for  the  women  of  North 
Valley;  she  really  felt  horror  at  the  story  of  Mrs.  Zam- 
boni's  "man":  so  intricate  is  the  soul  of  woman,  so 
puzzling  that  faculty,  older  than  the  ages,  .which  enables 
her  to  be  hysterical,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be  guided  in 
the  use  of  that  hysteria  by  deep  and  infallible  calcula- 
tion. 

But  she  made  Hal  realise  that  it  wds  necessary  for  him 


282  KING  COAL 

to  take  her  away.  He  turned  to  Mary  Burke  and  said, 
"  Miss  Arthur's  train  is  leaving  in  a  short  time.  I'll  have 
to  take  her  back,  and  then  I'll  go  to  the  pit-mouth  with  you 
and  see  what  I  can  do." 

"  Very  well,"  Mary  answered ;  and  her  voice  was  hard 
and  cold.  But  Hal  did  not  notice  this.  He  was  a  man, 
and  not  able  to  keep  up  with  the  emotions  of  one  woman  — 
to  say  nothing  of  two  women  at  the  same  time. 

He  took  Jessie  out,  and  all  the  way  back  to  the  train 
she  fought  a  desperate  fight  to  get  him  away  from  here. 
She  no  longer  even  suggested  that  he  get  decent  clothing; 
she  was  willing  for  him  to  come  as  he  was,  in  his  coal- 
stained  mining-jumpers,  in  the  pri¥ate  train  of  the  Coal 
King's  son.  She  besought  him  in  the  name  of  their  af- 
fection. She  threatened  him  that  if  he  did  not  come,  this 
might  be  the  last  time  they  would  meet.  She  even  broke 
down  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  let  him  stand  there 
in  plain  sight  of  miners'  wives  and  children,  and  of  pos- 
sible newspaper  reporters,  "holding  her  in  his  arms  and 
comforting  her. 

Hal  was  much  puzzled ;  but  he  would  not  give  way.  The 
idea  of  going  off  in  Percy  Harrigan's  train  had  come  to 
seem  morally  repulsive  to  him  ;  he  hated  Percy  Harrigan's 
train,  and  Percy  Harrigan  also,  he  declared.  And  Jessie 
saw  that  she  was  only  making  him  unreasonable  —  that 
before  long  he  might  be  hating  her.  With  her  instinctive 
savoir  faire,  she  brought  up  his  suggestion  that  she  might 
find  some  one  to  chaperon  her,  and  stay  with  him  at  North 
Valley  until  he  was  ready  to  come  away. 

Hal's  heart  leaped  at  that;  he  had  no  idea  what  was  in 
her  mind  —  the  certainty  -that  no  one  of  the  ladies  of  the 
Harrigan  party  would  run  the  risk  of  offending  her  host 
by  staying  under  such  circumstances. 

"  You  mean  it,  sweetheart  ?  "  he  cried,  happily. 

She  answered,  "  I  mean  that  I  love  you,  Hal." 


THE  HENCHMEN  OF  KING  COAL        283 

"All  right,  dear!"  he  said.  "  We'll  see  if  we-  can 
arrange  it."' 

'But  as  they  walked  on,  she  managed,  without  his  realis- 
ing it,  to  cause  him  to  reflect  upon  the  effect  of  her  staying. 
She  was  willing  to  do  it,  if  it  was  what  he  wanted;  but  it 
would  injure,  perhaps  irrevocably,  his  standing  with  her 
parents.  They  would  telegraph  her  to  come  at  once;  and 
if  she  rdid  not  obey,  they  would  come  by  the  next  train. 
So  on,  until  at  last  Hal  was  moved  to  withdraw  his  own 
suggestion.  After  all,  what  was  the  use  of  her  staying,  if 
her  mind  was  on  the  people  at  home,  if  she  would  simply 
keep  him  in  hot  water  ?  Before  the  conversation  was  over 
Hal  had  become  clear  in  his  mind  that  North  Valley  was 
no  place  for  Jessie  Arthur,  and  that  he  had  been  a  fool  to 
think  he  could  bring  the  two  together. 

She  tried  to  get  him  to  promise  to  leave  as  soon  as  the 
last  man  had  been  brought  out  of  the  mine.  He  answered 
that  he  intended  to 'leave  then,  unless  some  new  emer- 
gency should  arise.  She  tried  to  get  an  unqualified 
promise ;  and  failing  in  that,  when  they  had  nearly  got  to 
the  train  she  suddenly  made  a  complete  surrender.  Let 
him  do  what  he  pleased  —  but  let  him  remember  that  she 
loved  him,  th,at  she  needed  him,  that  she  could  not  do 
without  him.  No  matter  what  he  might  do,  no  matter 
what  people  might  say  about  him,  she  believed  in  him,  she 
would  stand  by  him.  Hal  was  deeply  touched,  and  took 
her  in  his  arms  again  and  kissed  her  tenderly  under  the 
umbrella,  in  the  presence  of  the  wondering  stares  of  sev- 
eral urchins  with  coal-smutted  faces.  He  pledged  anew 
his  love  for  her,  assuring  her  that  no  amount  of  interest  in 
mining-camps  should  ever  steal  him  from  her. 

Then  he  put  her  on  the  train,  and  shook  hands  with  the 
departing  guests.  He  was  so  very  sombre  and  harassed- 
Iqoking  that  the  young  men  forbore  to  "  kid  "  him  as  they 
would  otherwise  have  done.  He  stood  on  the  station-plat- 


284  KING  COAL 

form  and;  saw  tlie^train  roll  away  —  and  felt,  to  his  own 
desperate  bewilderment,  that  he  hated  these  friends  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth.  His  reason  protested  against  it; .'he 
told  himself  there  was  nothing  they  could  do,  no  reason  on 
earth  for  them  to  stay  — and  yet  he  hated  them.  They 
were  hurrying  off  to  dance  and  flirt  at  the  country  club  — 
while  he  was  going  back  to  the  pit-mouth,  to  try  to  get  Mrs. 
Zamboni  the  right  to  inspect  the  pieces  of  her  "  man  "  !• 


BOOK  FOUE 
THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL 


§  1.  The  pit  of  death  was  giving  up  its  secrets.  The 
hoist  was  busy,  and  cage-load  after  cage-load  came  up,  with 
bodies  dead  and  bodies  living  and  bodies  only  to  be  classi- 
fied after  machines  had  pumped  air  into  them  for  a  while. 
Hal  stood  in  the  rain  and  watched  the  crowd  and  thought 
that  he  had  never  witnessed  a  scene  so  compelling  to  pity 
and  terror.  The  silence  that  would  fall  when  any  one 
appeared  who  might  have  news  to  tell !  The  sudden 
shriek  of  anguish  from  some  woman  whose  hopes  were 
struck  dead!  The  moans  of  sympathy  that  ran  through 
the  crowd,  alternating  with  cheers  at  some  good  tidings, 
shaking  the  souls  of  the  multitude  as  a  storm  of  wind 
shakes  a  reed-field ! 

And  the  stories  that  ran  through  the  camp  —  brought 
up  from  the  underground  world  —  stories  of  incredible 
sufferings,  and  of  still  more  incredible  heroisms!  Men 
who  had  been  four  days  without  food  or  water,  yet  had  re- 
sisted being  carried  out  of  the  mine,  proposing  to  stay  and 
help  rescue  others !  Men  who  had  lain  together  in  the 
darkness  and  silence,  keeping  themselves  alive  by  the  water 
which  seeped  from  the  rocks  overhead,  taking  turns  lying 
face  upwards  where  the  drops  fell,  or  wetting  pieces  of 
their  clothing  and  sucking  out  the  moisture !  Members  of 
the  rescue  parties  would  tell  how  they  knocked  upon  the 
barriers,  and  heard  the  faint  ansAvering  signals  of  the  im- 
prisoned tnen;  how  madly  they  toiled  to  cut  through,  and 
how,  when  at  last  a  little  hole  appeared,  they  heard  the 
cries  of  joy,  and  saw  the  eyes  of  men  shining  from  the 
darkness,  while  they  waited,  gasping,  for  the  hole  to  grow 
bigger,  so  that  water  and  food  might  'be  passed  in ! 

In  some  places  they  were  fighting  the  fire.  Long  lines 
of  hose  had  been  sent  down,  and  men  were  moving  forward 
foot  by  foot,  as  the  smoke  and  steam  were  sucked  out  ahead 

287 


288  KING  COAL 

of  them  by  the  fan.  Those  who  did  this  work  were  taking 
their  lives  in  their  hands,  yet  they  went  without  hesita- 
tion. There  was  always  hope  of  finding  men  in  barri- 
caded rooms  beyond. 

Hal.  sought  out  Jeff  Cotton  at  the  entrance  to  the  tipple- 
room,  which  had  -been  turned  into  a  temporary  hospital. 
It  .was  the  first  time  the  two  had  met  since  the  revelation  in 
Percy's  car,  and  the  camp-marshal's  face  took  on  a  rather 
sheepish  grin.  "  Well,  Mr.  Warner,  you  win,"  he  re- 
marked; and  after  a  little  arguing  he  agreed  to  permit  a 
couple  of  women  to  go  into  the  tipple-room  and  make  a  list 
of  the  injured,  and  go  out  and  give  the  news  to  the  crowd. 
Hal  went  to  the  Minettis  to  ask  Mary  Burke  to  attend  to 
this;  but  Rosa  said  that  Mary  had  gone  out  after  he  and 
Miss  Arthur  had  left,  and  no  one  knew  where  she  was. 
So  Hal  went  to  Mrs/  David,  who  consented  to  get  a  couple 
of  friends,  and  do  the  work  without  being  called  a.."  com- 
mittee." "I  won't  have  any  damned  committees!"  the* 
camp-marshal  had  declared. 

So  the  night  passed,  and  part  of  another  day.  A  clerk 
from  the  office  came  to  Hal  with  a  sealed  envelope,  con- 
taining a  telegram,  addressed  in. care  of  Cartwright.  "  I 
most  urgently  beg  of  you  to  come  home  at  once.  It  will 
be  distressing  to  Dad  if  he  hears  what  has  happened,  and  it 
will  not  be  possible  to -keep  the  matter  from  him  for 
long." 

As  Hal -read,  he  frowned;  evidently  the  Harrigans  had 
got  busy  without  delay!  He  went  to  the  office  and  tele- 
phoned his  answer.  "  Am  planning  to  leave  in  a  day  or 
two.  Trust  you  will  make  an  effort  to  spare  Dad  until  you 
have  heard  my  story." 

This  message  troubled  Hal.  It  started  in  his  mind  long 
arguments  with  his  brother,  and  explanations  and  apolo- 
gies to  his  father.  He  loved  the  old  man  tenderly.  What 
a  shame  if  some  emissary  of  the  Harrigans  were  to  get  to 
him  to  upset  him  with  misrepresentations! 


THE  WILL  OF  KI^G  COAL  289; 

Also  these  ideas  had  a  tendency  to  make  Hal  homesick ; 
they  brought  more  Vividly  to  his  thoughts  the  outside 
world,  with  its  physical  allurements  —  there  being  a  limit 
to  the  amount  of  unwholesome  meals  and  dirty  beds  and 
repulsive  sights  a  man  of  refinement  can  force  himself  to 
endure.  Hal  found  himself  obsessed  by  a  vision  of  a  club 
dining-room,  with  odours  of  grilled  steaks  and  hot  rolls, 
and  the  colours  of  salads  and  fresh  fruits  and  cream.  The 
conviction  grew  suddenly  strong  in  him  that  his  work  in 
ISTorth  Valley  was  nearly  done! 

Another  night  passed,  and  another  day.  The  last  of 
the  bodies  had  been  brought  out,  and  the  corpses  shipped 
down  to  Pedro  for  one  of  'those  big  wholesale  funerals 
which  are  a  feature  of  mine-life.  The  fire  was  out,  and 
the  rescue-crews  had  given  place  to  a  swarm  of  carpenters 
and  timbermen,  repairing  the  damage  and  making  the 
mine  safe.  The  reporters  had  gone;  Billy  Keating  hav- 
ing clasped  HaFs  hand,  and  promised  to  meet  him  -for 
luncheon  at  the  club.  An  agent  of  the  "  Red  Cross  "  was 
on  hand,  and  was  feeding  the  hungry  oiit  of  Mi's.  Curtis's 
subscription-list.  What  more  .was  there  for  Hal  to  do  — 
except  to  bid  good-bye  to  his  friends,  and  assure  them  of 
his  help  in  the  future  ? 

First  among  these  friends  was  Mary  Burke,  whom  he 
had  had  no  chance  to  talk  to  since  the  meeting  with  Jessie. 
He  realised  that  Mary  had  been  deliberately  avoiding  him. 
She  was  not  in  her  home,  and  he  went  to  inquire  at  the 
Rafferties7,  and  stopped  for  a  good-bye  chat  with  the  old 
woman  whose  husband  he  had  saved. 

EafTerty  was  going  to  pull  through.  His  wife  had  been 
allowed  in  to  see  him,  and  tears  rolled  down  her  shrunken 
cheeks  as  she  told  about  it.  He  had  been  four  days  and 
nights  blocked  up  in  a  little  tunnel,  with  no  food  or  water, 
save  for  a  few  drops  of  coffee  which  lie  had  shared  with 
other  men.  He  could  still  not  speak,  he  could  hardly 
move  a  hand;  but  there  was  life  in  his  eyes,  and  his  look 


290  KING  COAL 

bad  been  a  greeting  from  the  soul  she  had  loved  and  served 
these  thirty  years  and  more.  Mrs.  Rafferty  sang  praises 
to  the  Raii'erty  God,  who  had  brought  him  safely  through 
these  perils ;  it  seemed  obvious  that  He  must  be  more  effij 
cient  than  the  Protestant  God  of  Johannson,  the  giant 
Swede,  who  had  lain  by  Rafferty's  side  and  given  up  the 
ghost. 

But  the  doctor  had  stated  that  the  old  Irishman  would 
never  be  good  to  work  again;  and  Hal  saw  a  shadow  of 
terror  cross  the  sunshine  of  Mrs.  Raff erty's  rejoicing. 
How  could  a  doctor  say  a  thing  like  that?  Rafi'erty  was 
old,  to  be  sure;  but  he  was  tough  —  and  could  any  doctor 
imagine  how  hard  a  man  would  try  who  had  a  family  look- 
ing to  him  ?  Sure,  he  was  not  the  one  to  give  up  for  a  bit 
of  pain  now  and  then !  Besides  him,  there  was  only  Tim 
who  was  earning;  and  though  Tim  was  a  good  lad,  and 
worked  steady  x  any  doctor  ought  to  know  that  a  big  family 
could  not  be  kept  going  on  the  wages  of  one  eighteen-year- 
old  pit-boy.  As  for  the  other  lads,  there  was  a  law  that  said 
they  were  too  young  to  work.  Mrs.  Rafferty  thought  there 
shoiild  be  some  one  to  put  a  little  sense  into  the  heads  of 
them  that  made  the  laws  —  for  if  they  wanted  to  forbid 
children  to  work  in  coal-mines,  they  should  surely  provide 
some  other  way  to  feed  the  children. 

Hal  listened,  agreeing  sympathetically,  and  meantime 
watching  her,  and  learnin'g  more  from  her  actions  than 
from  her  words.  She  had  been  obedient  to  the  teachings 
of  her  religion,  to  be  fruitful  and  multiply ;  she  had  fed 
three  grown  sons  into  the  maw  of  industry,  and  had  still 
eight  children  and  a  man  to  care  for.  Hal  wondered  if 
she  had  ever  rested  a  single  minuie  of  daylight  in  all  her 
fifty-four  years.  Certainly  not  while  he  had  been  in  her 
house !  Even  now,  while  praising  the  Rafferty  God  and 
blaming  the  capitalist  law-makers,  she  was  getting  a  sup- 
per, moving  swiftly,  silently,  like  a  machine. .  She  was 
lean  as  an  old  horse  that  has  toiled  across  a  desert ;  the  skin 


THE  WILL  OF  Kfife  COAL 

over  her  cheek-bones  was  tight  as  stretched  rubber,  and 
cords  stood  out  in  her  wrists  like  •  piano-wires. 

And  now  she  was  cringing  before  the  spectre  of  destitu- 
tion. He  asked  what 'she  would  do  about  it,  and  saw  the 
shadow  of  terror  cross  her  face  again.  There  was  one  re- 
course from  starvation,  it  seemed  L—  to  have  her  children 
taken  from  her,  and  put  in  some  institution  !  At  the  men- 
tion of  this,  one  of  the  special  nightmares  of  the  poor,  the 
old  woman  began  to  sob  and  cry  again  that  the  doctor  was 
wrong;  he  would  see,  arid  Hal' would  see-— Old  KafTerty 
would  be  back  at  his  jpb  in  a  week  or  two ! 


§  2.  Hal  went  out  on  the  street  again.  It  was  the 
hour  which  would  have  been  sunset, in  a  level  region;  the 
tops  of  the  mountains  were  touched  with  a  purple  light, 
and  the  air  was  fresh  and  chill  with  early  fall.  Down  the 
darkenirig  streets  he  saw  a  gathering  of  men;  there  was 
shouting,  and  people  running  towards  the  platfe,  so  iie  hur- 
ried up,  with  the  thought  in  his  mind,  "  What's  the  matter 
now  ?  "  There  were  perhaps  a  hundred  men  crying  out, 
their^  voices  mingling  like  the  sound  of  waves  on  the  sea. 
He  could  make  out  words :  "  Go  on !  Go  on !  We've 
had  enough  of  it !  Hurrah  !  " 

"  What's  happened  ?  "  he  asked,  of  some  one  on  the  out- 
skirts; and  the  man,  recognising  him,  raised  a  cry  -which 
ran  through  the  throng:  "  Joe  Smith !  He's  the'bby  for 
us !  <Qome  in  here,  Joe !  Give  us  a  speech  !  " 

But  even  while. Hal  was  asking  questions,  trying  to-  get 
the  situation  clear,  other  shouts  had  drowned  out  his 'name. 
"We've  had  enough  of  •  thorn  walking  over  us!"  And 
somebody  cried,  more  loudly,  "  Tell  us  about  it!  Tell  it 
again  !  Go  on  !  " 

A  man  was  standing  upon  the  steps  of  a  building  at  one 
side.  Hal  stared  in  amazement;  it  was  Tim  Rafferty. 
Of  all  people  in  the  world  —  Tim,  the  light-hearted  and 


292  KING  COAL 

simple,  Tim  of  the  laughing  face  and  the  merry  Irish  blue 
eyes!  Now- his  sandy  hair  was  tousled  and  his  features 
distorted  with  rage.  "  Him  near  dead !  "  he  yelled. 
".Him  with  his  voice  gone,  and  couldn't  move  his  hand! 
Eleven  years  he's  slaved  for  them,  and  near  killed  in  an 
accident  that's  their  own  fault — -every  man  in  this  crowd 
knows  it's  their  own  fault,  by  God !  " 

"  Sure  thing !  You're  right !  "  cried  a  chorus  of  voices. 
"Tell  it  all !" 

"  They  give  ,him  twenty-five  dollars  and  his  hospital 
expenses  —  and  what'll  his  hospital  expenses  be  ?  .  They'll 
have  him  out  on  the  street  again  before  he's  able  to  stand. 
You  know  that  —  they  done  it  to  Pete  Cullen ! <" 

"You  bet  they  did!" 

"  Them  damned  lawyers  in  there  —  gettin'  ?ein  to  sign 
papers  when  they  don't  know  what  they're  doin'.  An7  me 
that  might  help  him  can't  get  near !  By  Christ,  I  say  it's 
too  much !  Are  we  slaves,  or  are  we  dogs,  that  we  .have  to 
stand  such  things  ?  " 

"  We'll  stand  no  more  of  it !  "  shouted  one.  "  We'll  go 
in  there  and  see  to  it  ourselves  I  " 

"  Come  on !  "  shouted  another.  "  To  hell  with  their 
gunmen !  " 

Hal  pushed  his  way  into  the  crowd;  "  Tim !  "  he  cried. 
"  How  do  you  know  this  ?  " 

"  There's  a  fellow  in  there  seen  it." 

"Who?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you  — -  they'd  ;fire  him ;  but  it's  somebody 
you  know  as  well  as  me.  He  come  and  told  me.  They're 
beatin'  me  old  father  out  of  damages !  " 

"  They  do  it  all  the  time!  "  shouted  Wauchope,  an  Eng- 
lish miner  at  Hal's  side.  "  That's  why  they  won't  let  us 
in  there." 

"They  done  the  same  thing  to  my  father!  "  put. in  an- 
other voice.  Hal  recognised  Andy,  the  Greek  boy. 

"  And  they  want  to  start  Number  Two  in  the  mornin' !  " 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  293 

yelled  Tim.  "  Who'll  go  down  there  again?  And  with 
Alec  Stone,  him  that  damns  the  men  and  saves  the  mules, !  " 

"  We'll  not  go  back  in  them  mines  till  they're  safe!  " 
shouted  Wauchope.  "Let  them  sprinkle  them  —  or  I'm 
done  with  the  whole  business." 

"  And  let  'em  give  us  our  weights !  "  cried  another. 
"  We'll  have  a  check-weighman,  and  we'll  get  what  we 
earn!" 

So  again  came  the  cry,  "  Joe  Smith !  Give  us  a  speech, 
Joe !  Soak  it  to  'em !  You're  the  boy !  " 

Hal  stood  helpless,  dismayed.  He  had  counted  his  fight 
won  —  and  here  was  another  beginning!  The  men  were 
looking  to  him,  calling  upon  him  as  the  boldest  of  the 
rebels.  Only  a  few  of  them  knew  about  the  sudden  change 
in  his  fortunes. 

Even  while  he  hesitated,  the  line  of  battle  had  swept  past 
him;  the  Englishman,  Wauchope,  sprang  upon  the  steps 
and  began  to  address  the  throng.  He  was  one  of  the 
bowed  and  stunted  men,  but  in  this  emergency  he  de- 
veloped sudden  lung-power.  Hal  listened  in  astonish- 
ment ;  this  silent  and  dull-looking  fellow  was  the  last  he 
would  have  picked  for  a  fighter.  Tom  Olson  had  sounded 
him  out,  and  reported  that  he  would  hear  nothing,  so  they 
had  dismissed  him  from  mind.  And  here  he  was,  shout- 
ing terrible  defiance ! 

"  They're  a  set  of  robbers  and  murderers !  They  rob 
us  everywhere  we  turn !  Eor  my  part,  I've  had  enough  of 
it !  Have  you  ?  " 

There  was  a  roar  from  every  one  within  reach  of  his 
voice.  They  had  all  had  enough. 

"  All  right,  .then  —  we'll  fight  them !  " 

"  Hurrah !     Hurrah !     We'll  have  our  rights !  " 

Jeff  Cotton  came  up  on  the  run,  with  "  Bud  "  Adams 

and -two  or  three  of  the  gunmen  at  his  heels.     The  crowd 

turned  upon  them,  the  men  on  the  outskirts  clenching  their 

fists,  showing  their  teeth  like  angry  dogs.     Cotton's  face 

20 


294  KING  COAL 

was  red  with  rage,  but  he  saw  that  he  had  a  serious  matter 
in;  hand ;  he  turned  and  went  for  more  help  —  and  the  mob 
roared  with  delight.  Already  they  had  begun  their  fight ! 
Already  they  had  won  their  first  victory ! 


§  3.  The  crowd  moved  down  the  street,  shouting  and 
cursing  as  it  went.  Some  one  started  to  sing  the  Mar- 
seillaise, and  others  took  it  up,  and  the  words  mounted  to 
a  frenzy : 

"  To  arms!     To  arms,  ye  brave! 
March  on,  march  on,  (all  hearts  resolved 
On  victory  or  death!  " 

There  were  the  oppressed  of  many  nations  in  this  crowd ; 
they  sang  in  a  score  of  languages,  but  it  was  the  same 
song.  They  would  sing  a  few  bars,  and  the  yells  of  others 
would  drown  them  out;  "  March  on!  March  oil!  All 
hearts  resolved  I  "  Some  rushed  away  in  different  direc- 
tions to  spread  the  news,  and  very  soon  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  the  village  was  on  the  spot;  the  men  waving  their 
caps,  the  women  lifting  up  their  hands  and  shrieking  — 
or  standing  terrified,  realising  that  babies  could  not  be  fed 
upon  revolutionary  singing. 

Tim  Rafferty  was  raised  up  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
crowd  and  made  to  tell  his  story  once  more.  While  he  was 
telling  it,  his  old  mother  came  running,  and  her  shrieks 
rang  above  the  clamour :  "  Tim !  Tim !  Come  down 
from  there !  What's  the  matter  wid  ye  ?  "  She  was  twist- 
ing her  hands  together  in  an  agony  of  fright ;  seeing  Hal, 
she  rushed  up  to  :him.  "Get  him  out  of  there,  Joe! 
Sure,  the  lad's  gone  crazy!  They'll  turn  us  Out  of  the 
camp,  they'll  give  us  nothin'  at  all  - —  and  what'll  become 
of  us  ?  Mother  of  God,  what's  the  matter  with  the  b'y  ?  " 
She  called  to  Tim  again;  but  Tim  paid  rib 'attention,  if  he 
heard  her.  Tim  was  on  the  march  to  Versailles ! 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  295 

Some  one  shouted  that  they  would  go  to  the  hospital  to 
protect  the  injured  men  from  the  "damned  lawyers." 
Here  was  something  definite,  and  the  crowd  moved  in  that 
direction,  Hal  following  with  the  stragglers,  the  women 
and  children,  and  the  less  bold  among  the  men.  He  no- 
ticed some  of  the  clerks  and  salaried  employes  of  the  com- 
pany; presently  he  saw  Jeff  Cotton  again,  and  heard  him 
ordering  these  men  to  the  office  to  get  revolvers. 

"  Big  Jack  "  David  came  along  with  Jerry  Minetti,  and 
Hal  drew  back  to  consult  with  them.  Jerry  was  on  fire. 
It  had  come  —  the  revolt  he  had  been  looking  forward  to 
for  years !  Why  were  they  not  making  speeches,  getting 
control  of  the  men  and  organising  them  ? 

Jack  David  voiced  uncertainty.  They  had  to  consider 
if  this  outburst  could  mean  anything  permanent. 

Jerry  answered  .that  it  would  mean  what  they  chose  to 
make  it  mean.  If  they  took  charge,  they  could  guide  the 
men  and  hold  them  together.  Wasn't  that  what  Tom 
Olson  had  wanted? 

"No,  said  the  big  Welshman,  Olson  had  been  trying 
to  organise  the  men  secretly,  as  preliminary  to  a  revolt  in 
all  the  camps.  That  was  quite  another  thing  from  an  open 
movement,  limited  to  one  camp.  Was  there  any  hope  of 
success  for  'such  a  movement  ?  If  not,  they  would  be  fool- 
ish to  start,  they  would  only  be  making  sure  of  their  own 
expulsion. 

Jerry  turned  to  Hal.     What  did  he  think  ? 

And  so  at  last  Hal  had  to  speak.  It  was  hard  for  him 
to  judge,  he  said.  He  knew  so  little  about  labour  matters. 
It  was  to  learn  about  them  that  he  had  come  to  North 
Valley.  It  was  a  hard  thing  to  advise  men  to  submit  to 
such  treatment  as  they  had  been  getting;  but  on  the  other 
hand,  any  one  could  see  that  a  futile  outbreak  would  dis- 
courage everybody,  and  make  it  harder  than  ever  to  organ- 
ise them. 

So  much  Hal  spoke;  but  there  was  more  in  his  mind, 


296  KING  COAL 

which  he  could  not  speak.  He  could  not-  say  to  these 
men,  "  I*  am  a  friend  of  yours,  but  I  am  also  a  friend  of 
your  enemy,  and  in  this  crisis  I  cannot  make  up  my  mind 
to  which  side  I  owe  allegiance.  I'm  bound  by  a  duty  of 
politeness  to  the  masters  of  your  'lives;  also,  I'm 
anxious  not  to  distress  the  girl  I  am  to  marry!  "  No,  he 
could  not  say  such  things.  He  felt  himself  a  traitor  for 
having  them  in  his  mind,  and  he  could  hardly  bring  him- 
self to  look  these  men  in  the.eye^  Jerry  knew  that  he  was 
in  some  way  connected  with  the  Harrigans;  probably  he 
had  told  the  rest  of  Hal's  friends,  and  they  had  been  dis- 
cussing it  .and  speculating  about 'the  meaning  of  it.  Sup- 
pose they  should  think  he  was  a  spy  ? 

So., Hal  was  relieved  when  Jack  David  spoke  firmly. 
They  would  only  be  playing  tihe  ;game  of  the  enemy  if  they 
let'  themselves  be  drawn  in  prematurely.  They  ought  to 
have  the  advice  of  Tom  Olson. 

Where  was  Olson ?  Hal  asked;  and  David  explained 
that  on  the  day  when  Hal  had  been  thrown  out  of  canip, 
Olson  had  got  his  "  time  "  and  set  out  for  Sheridan,  the 
local  headquarters  of  the  union,  to  report  the  situation. 
He  would  probably  aiot  come  back;  he  had  got  his  little 
group  together,  he  had  planted  the  seed  of  revolt  in  North 
Valley. 

They  discussed  back  and  f orth  the  problem  of  getting 
advice.  It  was  impossible  to  telephone  from  North  Valley 
without  everything  they  said  being  listened  to;  but  the 
evening  train  for  Pedro  left  in  a  few  minutes,  and  "Big- 
Jack  "declared  that  some  one  ought  to  take  it.  The  town 
of  Sheridan  was  only  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  Pedro, 
and  there  would  be  a  union  official  there  to  advise  them; 
or  they  might  use  the  long  distance  telephone,  and  per- 
suade one- of  the  union  leaders  in  Western  City  to  take  the 
midnight  train,  and.be  in  Pedro  next  morning. 

Hal,  still  hoping  to  withdraw  himself,  put  this  task  off 
on  Jack  David.  They  emptied  out  the  contents  of  their 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  297 

pockets,  so  that  he  might  have  funds  enough,  and  the  big 
Welshman  darted  off  to  catch  the  train.  In  the  meantime 
'Jerry  and  Hal  agreecj  to  keep  in  the  background,  and  to 
seek  out  the  other  members  of  their  group  and'  warn  them 
to  do  the  same. 


§  4.  This  programme  was  a  convenient  one  for  Hal ; 
but  as  he  was  to  find  almost  at  once,  it  had  been  adopted 
too  late.  He  and  Jerry  started  after  the  crowd,  which  had 
stopped  in  front  of  one  of  the  company  buildings;  and, as 
they  came  nearer  they  heard  some  tine  making  a  speech. 
It  was  the  voice  of  a  woman,  the  tones  rising  clear  and 
compelling.  They  could  not  see  the  speaker,  because  of 
the  throng,  but  Hal  recognised  her  voice,  and  caught  his 
companion7  by  the  arm.  "  It's  Mary  Burke !  " 

Mary  Burke  it  was,  for  a  fact ;  and  she  seemed  to  have 
the  crowd  in  a  kind  of  frenzy.  She  would  speak  one  sen- 
tence, and  there  would  come  a  roar  from  the  throng;  she 
would  speak  another  sentence,  and  there  would  come  an> 
other  'roar.  Hal  and  Jerry  pushed  their  way  in,  to  where 
they  could  make  out  the  words  of  this  litany  of  rage. 

"  Would  they  go  down  into  the  pit  themselves,  do  ye 
think  ?  " 

"  They  would  not !  " 

"Would   they   be   dressed   in   silks   and   laces,   do  ye 
think?" 
."They  would  not!" 

"  Would  they  have  such  fine  soft  hands,  do  ye  think  ?  " 

"  They  would  not  1  " 

"  Would  they  hold  themselves  too  good  to  look  at  ye  ?  " 

"  They  would  not !     They  would  not !  " 

And  Mary  swept  on :  "  If  only  ye'd  stand  together, 
they'd  come  to  ye  on  their  knees  to  ask  for  terms !  But 
ye're  cowards,  and  they  play  on  your  fears !  Ye're  trait- 
ors, and  they  buy  ye  out!  They  break  ye  into  pieces, 


298  KING  COAL 

they  do  what  they,  please  with  ye  -~-  and  then  ride  off  in 
their  private  cars,  and  leave  gunmen  to  beat  ye  down  and 
trample  on  your  faces!  How  long  will  ye  stand  it? 
How  long?"" 

The  roar  of  the  mob  rolled  down  the  street  and  back 
again.  "  We'll  not  stand  it !  We'll  not  stand  it !  "  Men 
shook  their  clenched  fists,  women  shrieked,  even  children 
shouted  curses.  "  We'll  fight  them!  We'll  slave  no  more 
for  them !  " 

And  Mary  found  a  magic  word.  "  We'll  Jiave  a 
union !  "  she  shouted.  "  We'll  get  together,  and  stay  to- 
gether !  If  they  refuse  us  our  rights,  we'll  know  what  to 
answer  —  we'll  have  a  strike ! " 

There  was  a  roar  like  the  crashing  of  thunder  in  the 
mountains.  Yes,  Mary  had  found  the  word !  For  many 
years  it  had  not  been  spoken  aloud  in  North  Valley,  but 
now  it  ran  like  a  flash  of  gunpowder  through  the  throng. 
"Strike!  Strike!  Strike!  Strike!"  It  seemed  as  if 
they  would  never  have  enough  of  it.  Not  all  of  them  had 
understood  Mary's  speech,  but  they  knew  this  word, 
"  Strike ! "  They  translated  and  proclaimed  it  in 
Polish  and  Bohemian  and  Italian  and  Greek.  Men  waved 
their  caps,  women  waved  their  aprons  —  in  the  semi-dark- 
ness it  was  like  some  strange  kind  of  vegetation  tossed  by  a 
storm.  Men  clasped  one  another's  hands,  the  more  demon- 
strative of  the  foreigners  fell  upon  one  another's  necks. 
"Strike!  Strike!  Strike!" 

"  We're  no  longer  slaves !  "  cried  the  speaker.  "  We're 
men  —  and  we'll  live  as  men !  We'll  work  as  men  —  or 
we'll  not  work  at  all !  We'll  no  longer  be  a  herd  of  cattle, 
that  they  can  drive  about  as  they  please !  We'll  organise, 
we'll  stand  together  • —  shoulder  to  shoulder !  Either  we'll 
win  together,  or  we'll  starve  and  die  together !.  And  not  a 
man  of  us  will  yield,  not  a  man  of  us  will  ,turn  traitor! 
Is1  there  anybody  here  who'll  scab  on  his  fellows  ?  " 

There  was  a  howl,  which  might  have  come  from  a  pack 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  299 

of  wolves,     Let  the  man  who  .would  scab  on  his  fellows 
show  his  dirty  face  in  that  crowd! 

"  Ye'll  stand  by  the'iimon?" 

"We'll  stand  by  it!" 
."Ye'll  swear?"     . 

"We'll  swear!" 

She  flung  her  arms  to  heaven  with  a  gesture  of  passion- 
ate adjuration.  "  Swear  it  on  your  lives!  To  stick  to 
the  rest,  of  us,  and  never  a  man  of  ye  give  way  till  ye've 
won!  Swear!  Swear!" 

Men  stood,  imitating  her  gesture,  their  hands  stretched 
up  to  the  sky.  "  We  swear !  We  swear !  " 

"Ye'll 'not  let  them  break  ye!  Ye'll  not  let  them 
frighten  ye !  " 

"No!     No!" 

"  Stand  by  your  word,  men !  ,  Stand  by  it !  'Tis  the 
one  chance  for  your  wives  and  childer !  "  The  girl 
rushed  on  —  exhorting  with  leaping  words  and  passionate 
out-flung  arms  —  a  tall,  swaying  figure  of  furious  re- 
bellion. Hal  listened  to  the  speech  and  watehqd  the 
speaker,  marvelling.  Here  was  a  miracle  of  the  human 
soul,  here  was  hope  born  of  despair!  And  the  crowd 
around  her — -they  were  sharing  the  wonderful  rebirth; 
their  waving  arms,  their  swaying  forms  responded  to 
Mary  as  an  orchestra  to  the  baton  of  a  leader. 

A  thrill  shook  Hal  —  a  thrill  of  triumph !  He  had 
been  beaten  down  himself,  he  had  wanted  to  run  from  this 
place  of  torment;  but  now  there  was  hope  in  North  Valley 
—  now  there  would  be  victory,  freedom! 

Ever  since  he  had  coine  to  the  coal-country,  the  knowl- 
edge had  been  growing  in  Hal  .that  the  real  tragedy  of 
these  people's  lives  was  not  their  physical  suffering,  but 
their  mental  depression  —  the  dull,  hopeless  misery  in 
their  minds.  This  had  been  driven  into  his  consciousness 
day  by  day,  both  by  what  he  saw  and  by  what  others  told 
him.  Tom  Olson  had  first  put  it  into  words:  "Your 


300  KING  COAL 

worst  troubles  are  inside  the  heads  of  the  fellows  you're 
trying  to  help !  "  How  could  hope  be  given  to  men  in  this 
environment  of  terrorism  ?  Even  Hal  himself,  young  and 
free  as  he  was,  had  been  brought  to  despair.  He  came 
from  a  class  which  is  accustomed  to  say,  "  Do  this,"  or  "  Do 
that,"  and  it  will  be  done.  But  these  mine-slaves  had 
never  known  that  sense  of  power,  of  certainty ;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  were  accustomed  to  having  their  efforts'  balked 
at  every  turn,  their  every  impulse  to  happiness  or  achieve- 
ment crushed  by  another's  will. 

But  here  was  this  miracle  of  the  human  soul!  Here 
was  ;hope  in  North  Valley!  Here  were  the  people  rising 
—  and  Mary  Burke  at  their  head !  It  was  his  vision  come 
true  —  Mary  Burke  with  a  glory  in  her  face,  and  her  hair 
shining  like  a  crown  of  gold !  Mary  Burke  mounted  upon 
a  snow-white  horse,  wearing  a  robe  of  white,  soft  and  lus- 
trous — -  like  Joan  of  Arc,  or  a  leader  in  a  suffrage  parade ! 
Yes,  and  she  was  at  the  head  of  a  host,  he  had  the  music 
of  its  marching  in  his  ears ! 

Underneath  Hal's  jesting  words  had  been  a  real  vision, 
a  real  faith  in  this  girl.  Since  that  day  when  he  had  first 
discovered  her,  a  wild  rose  of  the  mining-camp  taking  in 
the  family  wash,  he  had  realised  that  she  was  no  pretty 
young  working-girl,  but  a  wvoman  with  a  mind  and  a  per- 
sonality. She  saw  farther,  she  felt  more  deeply  than  the 
average  of  these  wage-slaves.  Her  problem  was  the  same 
as  theirs,  yet  more  complex.  When  he  had  wanted  to  help 
her  and  had  offered  to  get  her  a  job,  she  had  made  clear 
that  what  she  craved  was  not  merely  relief  from  drudgery, 
but  a  life  with  intellectual  interest.  So  then  the  idea  had 
come  to  him  that  Mary  should  become  a  teacher,  a  leader 
of  her  people.  She  loved  them,  she  suffered  for  them 
and  with  them,  and  at  the  same  time  she  had  a  mind  that 
was  capable  of  seeking  out  the  causes  of  their  misery.  But 
when  he  had  gone  to  her  with  plans  of  leadership,  he  had 
been  met  by  her  corroding  despair;  her  pessimism  had 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  301 

seemed  to  mock  his  dreams,  her  contempt  for  these  mine- 
slaves  had  belittled  his  efforts  in  their  behalf  and  in -hers. 

And  now,  here  she  was  taking  up  the  role  he  had  planned 
for  her !  Her  very  soul  was  in  this  shouting  throng,  he 
thought.  She  had  lived  the  lives  of  these  people,  shared 
their  every  wrong,  been  driven  to  rebellion  with  them. 
Being  a  mere  man,  Hal  missed  one  important  point  about 
this  startling  development ;  he  did  not  realise  that  Mary's 
eloquence  was  addressed,  not  merely  to  the  "Rafferties  and 
the  Wauchopes,  and  the  rest  of  the  North  Valley  mine- 
slaves,  but  to  a  certain  magazine-cover  girl,  clad  in  a  mack- 
intosh and  a  pale  green  hat -and  a  soft  and  filmy  and  hor- 
ribly expensive  motoring  veil! 


§  5.  Mary's  speech  was  brought  to  a  sudden  end.  A 
group  of  the  men  had  moved  down  the  street,  and  there 
arose  a  disturbance  there.  TJie  noise  of  it  swelled  louder, 
and  more  people  began  to  move  in  that  direction.  Mary 
turned  to  look,  and  all  at  once  the  whole  throng  surged 
down  the  street. 

The  trouble  was  at  the  hospital.  In  front  of  this  build- 
ing was  a  porch,  and  on  it  Cartwright  and  Alec  Stone  were 
standing,  with  a  group  of  the  clerks  and  office-employes, 
among  whom  Hal  saw  Predovich,  Johnson,  the  postmaster, 
and  Si  Adams.  At  the  foot  .of  the  steps  stood  Tim  Raf- 
ferty,  with  a  swarm  of  determined  men  at  his  back.  He 
was  shouting,  "  We  want  them  lawyers  out  of  there !  " 

The  superintendent  himself  had  undertaken  to  parley 
with  him.  "  There  are  no  lawyers  in  here,  Bafferty." 

"  We  don't  trust  you!  "  And  the  crowd  took  up  the 
cry :  "  We'll  see  for  ourselves !  " 

"  You  can't  go  into  this  building,"  declared  Cartwright. 

"  I'm  goin'  to  sec  my  father !  "  shouted  Tim.  "  I've 
got  a  right  to  see  my  father,  ain't  I  ?  " 

"  You  can  see  him  in  the  morning.     You  can  take  him 


302  •          KING  COAL 

away,  if  you  want  to.  We've  no  desire  to  keep  him.  But 
he's  asleep  now,  and  you  can't  disturb  the  others:" 

"  You  weren't  afraid  to  disturb  them  with  your  damned 
lawyers !  "  And  there  .was  a  roar  of  approval  —  so  loud 
that  Cartwright's  denial  could  hardly  be  heard. 

"  There  have  been  no  lawyers  near  him,  I  tell  you." 

"  It'sra  lie!  "  shouted  Wauchope.  "  They  been  in  there 
all  day,  and  you  know  it.  We  mean  to  have  them  out." 

"  Go  on,  Tim !  "  cried  Andy,  the  Greek  boy,  pushing  his 
way  to  the  front.  "  Go  on!  "  cried  the  others:  and  thus 
encouraged,  Rafferty  started  up  the  steps. 

"I  mean  to  see  my  father!"  As  Cartwright  caught 
him  by  the  shoulder,  he  yelled,  "  Let  me  go,  I  say !  " 

It  was  evident  that  the  superintendent  was  trying  his 
best  not  to  use  violence ;  he  was  ordering  his  own  followers 
back  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  holding  the  boy.  But 
Tim's  blood  was  up ;  he  shoved  forward,  and  the  superin- 
tendent, either  striking  him  or  trying  to  ward  off  a  blow, 
threw  him  backwards  down  the  steps.  There  was  an  up- 
roar of  rage  from  the  throng;  they  surged  forward,  and  at 
the  same  time  some  of  the  men  on  the  porch  drew  re- 
volvers. 

The  meaning  of  that  situation  was  plain  enough.  In  a 
moment  more  the  mob  would  be  up  the  steps,  and, there 
would  be  shooting.  And  if  once  that  happened,  who  could 
guess  the  end  ?  Wrought  up  as  the  crowd  was,  it  might 
not  stop  till  it  had  fired  every  company  building,  perhaps 
not  until  it  had  murdered  every  company  representative. 

Hal  had  resolved  to  keep  in  the  back-ground,  but  he  saw 
that  to  keep  in  the  back-ground  at  that  moment  would  be 
an  act  of  cowardice,  almost  a  crime.  He  sprang  forward, 
his  cry  rising  above  the  clamour.  "  Stop,  men !  Stop !  " 

There  was  probably  iio  other  man  in  North  Valley  who 
could  have  got  himself  heeded  at  that  moment'.  But  Hal 
had  their  confidence,  he  had  earned  the 'right  to  be  heard. 
Had  he  not  been  to  prison  for  them,  had  they  not  seen  him 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  303 

behind  the  bars  ?  "  Joe  Smith !  "  The  cry  ran  from  one 
end  of  the  excited  throng  to  the  other. 

Hal  was  fighting  his  way  forward,  shoving  men  to  one 
side,  imploring,  commanding  silence.  "  Tim  RafFerty ! 
Wait!  "  And  Tim,  recognising  the  voice,  obeyed. 

Once  clear  of  the  press,  Hal  sprang  upon  the  porch, 
where  Cartwright  did  not  attempt  to  interfere  with  him. 

"  Men !  "  he  cried.  "  Hold  on  a  moment !  This  isn't 
what  yon  want !  You  don't  want  a  fight !  "  He  paused 
for  an  instant;  but  he  knew  that  no  mere  negative  would 
hold  them  at  that  moment.  They  must  be  told  what  they 
did  want.  Just  now  he  had  learned  the  particular  words 
that  would  carry,  and  he  proclaimed  them  at  the  top  of  his 
voice :  "  What  you  want  is  a  union !  '  A  strike  !  " 

He  was  answered  by  a  roar  from  the  crowd,  the  loudest 
yet.  Yes,  that  was  what  they  wanted !  A  strike !  And 
they  wanted  Joe  Smith  to  organise  it,  to  lead  it.  He  had 
been  their  leader  once,  he  had  been  thrown  out  of  camp  for 
it.  How  he  had  got  back  they  were 'not  quite  clear  —  but 
here  he  was,  and  he  was  their  darling.  Hurrah  for  him ! 
They  would  follow  him  to  hell  and  back ! 

And  wasn't  he  the  boy  with  the  nerve !  Standing  there 
on  the  porch  of  the  hospital,  right  under  the  very  noses  of 
the  bosses,  making  a  union  speech  to  them,  and  the  bosses 
never  daring  to  touch  him !  The  crowd,  realising  this"  situ- 
ation, went  wild  with  delight.  The  English-speaking  men 
shouted  assent  to  his  words;  and  those  who  could  not  un- 
derstand, shouted  because  the  others  did. 

They  did  not  want  fighting  —  of  course  not!  Eight- 
ing  would  not  help  them !  What  would  help  them  was  to 
get  together,  and  stand  a  solid  body  of  free  men.  There 
would  be  a  union  committee,  able  to  speak  for  all  of  them, 
to  say  that  no  man  would  go  to  work  any  more  until  justice 
was  secured!  They  would  have  an  end  to  the  business 
of  discharging  men  because  they  asked  for  their  rights,. of 
blacklisting  men  and  driving  them  out  of  the  district  be- 


304  XING  GOAL 

cause 'they  presumed  to  want  what  the  laws  of  the  state 
awarded  them ! 


§  6.  How  long  could  a  man  expect  to  stand  on  the  stepjs 
of  a  company  building,  with  a  super  and  a  pit-boss  at  his 
back,  and  organise  a  union  of  mine-workers  \  Hal  realised 
that  he  must' move  the  crowd  from  that  perilous  place. 

"  You'll  do  what  I  say,  now  ?  "  he  demanded ;  and  when 
they  agreed  in  chorus,  he  added  the  warning:  "  There'll 
be  no  fighting !  And  no  drinking !  If  you  see  any  mail 
drunk  to-night,  sit  on  him  and  hold  him  down !  " 

They  laughed  and  cheered.  Yes,  they  would  keep 
straight.  '.Here  was  a  job  for  soBer  men,  you  bet ! 

"  And  now,"  JIal  continued,  "  the  people  in  the  hos- 
pital. We'll  have  a  committee  go  in  and  see  about  them. 
No  noise  —  we  don't  want, to  disturb  the, sick  men.  We 
only  want  to  make  sure  nobody  else  is  disturbing  them; 
Some  one  will  go  in  and  stay  with  them.  Does  that  suit 
you?" 

Yes,  that  suited  them. 

"  All  right,"  said  Hal.     "  Keep  quiet  for  a  moment." 

And  he  turned  to  the  superintendent.  "  Gartwright," 
said  he,  "  We  want  a  committee  to  go  in  and  stay  with  ouu 
people."  Then,  as  the  superintendent  started  to  expostu^ 
late,  he  added,-  in  a  low  voice,  "Don't  be  a'. fool,  man  I 
Don't  you  see  I'm  trying  to  save  your  life •?" 

The  superintendent  knew  how  bad  it  would  be  for  disci^ 
pline  to  let  Hal  carry  his  point  With  the  crowd;  but  also 
he  saw  the  immediate  danger  —  and  he  was  not  sure  of  the 
courage  and  shooting  .ability  of  book-keepers  and  stenog* 
raphers. 

"  Be  quick,  man  !  "  exclaimed  Hal.  "  I  can't  hold  these 
people  long.  If  you  don't  want  hell  breaking  loose,  como 
to  your  senses." 

"  All  right,"  said  Cartwright,  swallowing  his  dignity, 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  305 

And  Hal  turned  to  the  men  and  announced  the  concession. 
There  was  a  shout  of  triumph. 

"  Now,  who's  to  go  ?  "  said  Hal,  when  he  could  be  heard 
again ;  and  he  looked  about  at  the  upturned  faces.  There 
were  Tim  and  Wauchope,  the  most  obvious  ones ;  but  Hal 
decided  to  keep  them  under  his  eye.  He  thought  of  Jerry 
Minetti  and  of  Mrs.  David  — -  but  remembered  his  agree- 
ment .with'"  Big  Jack/7  to  keep  their  own  little  group  in 
the  back-ground.  Then  he  thought  of  Mary  -Burke;  she 
had  already  done  herself  all  the  harm  she  could  do,  and  she 
was  a  person  the  crowd  would  trust.  He  called  her>  and 
called  Mrs.j  Ferris,  an  American  woman  in  the  crowd; 
The  two  came  up  the  steps,  and  Hal  turned  to  Cart- 
wright. 

.-.  "  Now,  let's  have  an  understanding,"  he  said.     "  These 
people  are  going  in  to  stay  with  the  sick  men,  and  to  talk 
to  them  if  they  want  to,  and  nobody's  going  to  give  them 
any  orders  but  the  doctors  and  nurses.     Is  that  right  ?  " 
;    "  All  right,"  said  the  superintendent,  sullenly. 

"  Good !  "  said  Hal.  "  And  for  God's  sake  have  a  little 
sense  and  stand  by  your  word;  this  crowd  has  had  all  it 
ean  endure,  and  if  you  do  any  more  to  provoke  it,  the  con- 
sequences will  be  on  you.  And  while  you're  about  it,  see 
that  the  saloons  are  closed  and  kept  closed  until  this  trouble 
is  settled.  ^  And  keep  your  people  out  of  the  way  —  don't 
let  them  go  about  showing  their  guns  and  making  faces." 
!  Without  waiting  to  hear  the  superintendent's  reply,  Hal 
turned  to  the  throng,  and  held  up  his  hand  for  silence. 
"  Men,"  he  said,  "  we  have  a  big  job  to  do  —  we're  going 
to  organise  a  union.  And  we  can't  do  it  here  in  front  of 
the  hospital.  We've  made  too  much  noise  already.  Let's 
go  off  quietly,  and  have  our  meeting  on  the  dump  in  back 
of  the  power-house.  Does  that  suit  you  ?  " 

They  answered  that  it  suited  them.;  and  Hal,  having 
3een  the  two  women  passed  safely  into  the  hospital,  sprang 
down  from  the  porch  to  lead  the  way.  Jerry  Minetti  came 


306  KING  COAL 

to  his  side,  trembling  with  deligh^ ;  and  Hal  clutched  him 
by  the  arm  and  whispered,  excitedly,  "  Sing,  Jerry !  Sing 
them  some  Dago  song !  " 

§  7.  They  got  to  the  place  appointed  without  any  fight- 
ing. And  meantime  Hal  had  worked  out  in  his  mind  a 
plan  for  communicating  with  .this  polyglot  horde.  He 
knew  that  half  the,  men  could  not  understand  a  word  61 
English,  and  that  half  the  remainder  understood  very 
little.  Obviously,  if  he  was  to  make  matters  clear  to  them, 
they  must  be  sorted  out  according  to  nationality,  and  a  re- 
liable interpreter  found  for  each  group. 

The  process  of  sorting  proved  a  slow  one,  involving  no 
end  of  shouting  and  good-natured  jostling: — Polish  here, 
Bohemian  here,  Greek  here,  Italian  here!  When  this  job 
had  been  done,  and  a  man  found  from  each  nationality  who 
understood  enough  English  to  translate  to  his  fellows,  Hal 
started  in  to  make  a  speech.  But  before  he  had  spoken 
many  sentences,  pandemonium  broke  loose.  All  the  in- 
terpreters started  interpreting  at  the  same  time  —  and  at 
the  top  of  their. lungs;  it  was  like  a  parade  with  the  bands 
close  together!  Hal  was  struck  dumb;  then  he  began  to 
laugh,  and  the  various. audiences  began  to  laugh;  the  ora- 
tors stopped,  perplexed  —  then  they  too  began  to  laugh. 
So  wave  after  wave  of  merriment  rolled  over  the  throng  JJ 
the  mood  of  the  assembly  was  changed  all  at  once,  from 
rage  and  determination  .to  the  wildest  hilarity.  Hal 
learned  his  first  lesson  in  the  handling  of  these  hordes  of 
child-like  people,  whose  moods  were  quick,  whose  tempers 
were  balanced  upon  a  fine  point. 

It  was  necessary  for  him  to  make  his  speech  through  to 
the  end,  and  then  move  the  various  audiences  apart,  to  bo 
addressed  by  the  various  interpreters.  But  then  arose  n 
new  difficulty.  How  could  any  one  control  these  floods  of 
eloquence  ?  How  be  sure  that  the  message  was  not  being 


THE  WILL, OF  KIATG  COAL  307 

distorted?  Hal  had  been  warned  by  Olson,  pf  company 
detectives,  who  posed  as  workers,  gaining  the  confidence  of 
men  in  order  to  incite  them  to  violence.  And  certainly 
some  of  these  interpreters  were  violent-looking,  and  one's 
remarks  sounded  strange  in  their  translations ! 

Therq  was,  the  Greek  orator,  for  example ;  a  wild  man, 
with  wild -hair  and  eyes/ who  tore  all  his  passions  to  tat- 
ters. He  stood  upon  a  barrel-head,  with  the  light  of  two 
pit-lamps  upon  him,  and  some  two  score  of  his  compatriots 
at  his  feet;  he  waved  his  arms,  he  shook  his  fists,  he 
shrieked,  he  bellowed.  But  when  Hal,  becoming  uneasy, 
went  over  and  asked  another  English-speaking  Greek  what 
the  orator  was  saying,  the  answer  was  that  he  was  promis- 
ing that  the  law  should  be  enforced  in  North  Valley  I 

Hal  stood  watching  this  perfervid  little  man,  a  study 
in  the  possibilities  of  gesture.  He  drew  back  his  shoul- 
ders and  pufj'e'd  out  his  chest,'  almost  throwing  himself 
backwards  oft'  the  barrel-head;  he  was  saying  that  the 
miners  would  be  able  to  live  like  men.  He  crouched  down 
and  bowed  his  head,  moaning;  he  was  telling  them,  what 
would  happen  if.  they  gave  up.  He  fastened  his  fingers  in 
his  long  black  hair  and  began  tugging  desperately ; ,  he 
pulled,  and  then  stretched  out  his  empty  hands ;  he  pulled 
again,  so  hard  that  it  almost  made  one  cry  out  with  pain  to 
watch  him.  Hal  asked  what  that  was  for ;  and  the  answer 
was,  "  He  say,  i  Stand  by/ union!  Pull  one  hair;  he  come 
out ;  pull  all  hairs,  no  come  out ' !  "  It  carried  one  back  to 
the  days  of  ^Esop  and  his  fables! 

Tom  Olson  had  told  Hal  something  about  the  technique 
of  an  organiser,  who  wished  to  drill  these  ignorant  "hordes. 
He  had  to  repeat  and  repeat,  until  the  dullest  in  his  audi- 
ence had  grasped  his  meaning,  had  got  into  his  head  the 
all-saving  idea  of  solidarity.  When  the  various  orators 
had  talked  themselves  out,  and  the  audiences  had  come 
back  to  the  cinder-heap,  Hal  made  his  speech  all  over 
again,  in  words  of  one  syllable,  in  the  kind  of  pidgin- 


308  KING  COAL 

English  wliick  does  duty'  in  the  camps.  Sometimes  lie 
would  stop  to  reinforce  it  with  Greek  or  Italian  or  Slavish 
words  he  had  picked  up.  Or  perhaps  his  eloquence  would 
inflame  some  one  of  the  interpreters  afresh,  and  he  would 
wait  while  the  man  shouted  a  few  sentences  to  his  com- 
patriots.. It  was  not  necessary  to  consider  the  possi- 
bility of  boring  any  one,  for  these  were  patient  and  long- 
suffer  ing  men,  and  now  desperately  in  earnest. 

They  were  going  to  have  a  union ;  they  were  going  to  do 
the  thing  in  regular  form,  with  membership  cards  and  of- 
ficials chosen  by  ballot.  So  Hal  explained  to  them,  step 
by  step.  There  was  no  use  organising  unless  they  meant 
to  stay  organised.  They  would  choose  leaders,  one  from 
each' of  the  principal  language  groups;  and  these  leaders 
would  meet  and  draw  up  a  set  of  demands,  which  would  be 
submitted  in  mass-meeting,  and  ratified,  f  and  then  pre- 
sented to  the  bosses  with  tne  announcement  that  until  these 
terms  were  granted,  not  a  single  North  Valley  worker 
would  go  back  into  the  pits. 

-  Jerry  Minetti,  who  knew  all  about  unions,  advised  Hal 
to  enroll  the  men  at  once ;  he  counted  on  the  psychological 
effect  of  having  each  man  come  forward  and  give  in  his 
name.  But  here  at  once  they  met  a  difficulty  encountered 
by  all  would-be  organisers  —  lack  of  funds.  There  must 
be  pencils  and  paper  for  the  enrollment;  and  Hal  had 
emptied  his  pockets  for  Jack  David!  He  was  forced  to 
borrow  a  quarter,  and  send  a  messenger  off  to  the  store.  It 
was  voted  by  the  delegates  that  each  member  as  he  joined 
the  union  should  be  assessed  a  dime.  There  would  have 
to  be  s"ome  telegraphing  and  telephoning  if  they  were  going 
to  get  help  from  the  outside  world. 

A  temporary  committee  was  named,  consisting  of  Tim 
Rafferty,  Wauchope  and  Hal,  to  keep  the  lists  and  the 
funds,  and  to  run  things  until  another  meeting  could  fce 
held  on  the  morrow;  also  a  body-guard  of  a  dozen  of  the 
sturdiest  and  most  reliable  men  were  named  to  stay  by  the 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  309 

mimittee.  The  messenger  came  back.  rwith  pads  and 
pencils,  and  sitting  on  the  ground  by  the  light, of  pit- 
lamps,  the  interpreters  wrote  down  the  names  of  the  men 
who  wished  to  join  the  union,  each  man  in  turn  pledging 
ihis  word  for  solidarity  and  discipline.  Then  the  meeting 
was  declared  adjourned  till  daylight  of  the  morrow,  and 
the  workers  scattered  to  their  homes  to  sleep,  with  a  joy 
4and  sense  .of  power  such  as  few  of  them  had  ever  known  in 
their  lives  beforte. 


§  8.  The  committee  and  its  body-guard  repaired  :to  the 
dining-room  of  Reminitsky's,  where  they  stretched  them- 
selves out  on  the -floor;  no  one  attempted,  to  interfere  with 
ihem,  and  while  the  majority  snored  peacefully,  Hal  and 
^  small  group  sat  writing  out  the  list  of  demands  which 
were  to  be  submitted  to  the  bosses  in  the  morning.  It 
was  arranged  that  Jerry  should  go  down  to  Pedro  by  the 
early  morning  train,  to  get  into  touch  with  Jack  David 
and  the  union  officials,  and  report  to  them  the  latest  de- 
velopments. Because,  the  officials  were  sure  to  have  de- 
fectives following  them,  Hal  warned  Jerry  to. go  to  Hac- 
kellar's  house,  and  have  MacKellar  bring  "  Big  Jack" 
to  meet  him  there.  Also  Jerry  must  have  MacKellar  get 
the  Gazette  on  the  long  distance  phone,  and  tell  Billy 
Keating  about  the  strike. 

A  hundred  things  like  this  Hal  had  to  think  of ;  his  head 
was  a-buzz  with  them,  so  that  when  he  lay  down  to  sleep  he 
could  not.  He  thought  about  the  bosses,  and  what  they 
might  be  doing.  The  bosses  would  not  be  sleeping,  he  felt 
sure ! 

And  then  came  thoughts  about  his  private-car  friends; 
.about  the  strangeness  of  this  plight  into  which  he  had  got 
himself !  He  laughed  aloud  in  a  kind  of  desperation  as  he 
recalled  Percy's  efforts,  to  get  him  away  from  here.  And 
poor  Jessie !  What  could  he  say  to  her  now  ? 

21 


310  KI&G  COAL 

The  bosses  'ftiade  no  move  that  night;  and  when  rhorn- 
ing  came,  the  strikers  hurried  to  the  meeting-place,  some 
of  them,  without  even  stopping  for  breakfast.  They  came 
tousled  and  unkempt,  looking  anxiously  at  their  fellows,  as 
if  unahle  to  credit  the  memory  of  the  bold  thing  they  had 
done  on  the  night  before.  But  finding  the  committee  and 
its  body-guard  on  hand  and  ready  for  business,  their  cour- 
age revived,  they  felt  again  the  wonderful  sentiment  of 
solidarity  which  had  made  men  of  them.  Pretty  soon 
speech-making  began,  and  cheering  and  singing,  which 
brought  out  the  1'aggards  and  the  cowards.  So  in  a  short 
while  the  movement  was  in  full  swing,  with  practically 
every  man,  woman  and  child  among  the  workers  present. 

Mary  Burke  came  from 'the  hospital,  where  she  had 
spent  the  night.  She  looked  weary  and  bedraggled,  but 
her  spirit  of  battle  had  not  slumped.  She  reported  that 
she  had  talked  with  some  of  the  injured  men,  and  that 
many  of  them  had  signed  "  releases/7  whereby  the  com- 
pany protected  itself  against  even  the  threat  of  a  lawsuit. 
Others  had  refused  to  sign,  and  Mary  had  been  vehement 
in  warning  them  to  stand  out.  Two  other  women  volun- 
teered to  go  to  the  hospital,  in  order  that  she  might  have  a 
chance  to  rest ;  but  Mary  did  not  wish  to  rest,  she  did  not 
feel  as  if  she  could  ever  rest  again.  - 

The  members  of  the  newly-organised  union  proceeded  to 
elect  officers.  They  sought  to  make  Hal  president,  but  he; 
was  shy  of  binding  himself  in  that  irrevocable  way,  and' 
succeeded  in  putting  the  honour  off  on  Wauchope.  Tim 
Eafferty  was  made  treasurer  and  secretary.  Then  a  com- 
mittee was  chosen  to  go  to  Cartwright  with  the  demands  of 
the  men.  It  included  Hal,  Wauchope,  and  Tim.;  an  Ital- 
ian named  Marcelli,  whom  Jerry  had  vouched  for ;  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Slavs  and  one  of  the  Greeks  —  Rusick  and 
Zammakis,  both  of  them  solid  and  faithful  men.  Finally, 
with  a  good  deal  of  laughter  and  cheering,  the  meeting 
voted  to  add  Mary  Burke  to  this  committee.  It  was  a  new 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  311 

thing  to  have  a  woman  in  such  a  rule,  but  Mary  was  the 
daughter  of  a  miner  and  the  sister  of  a  breaker-boy,  and 
had  as  good  a  right  to  speak  as  any  one  in  North  Valley. 


§  9.  Hal  read  the  document  which  had  been  prepared 
the  night  before.  They  demanded  the  right  to  have  a 
union  without  being  discharged  for  it.  They  demanded  a 
check-weighman,  to  be  elected  by  the  men  themselves. 
They  demanded  that  the  mines  should  be  sprinkled  to  pre- 
vent explosions,  and  properly  timbered  to  prevent  falls. 
They  demanded  the  right  to  trade  at  any  store  they  pleased. 
Hal  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  every  one  of  these  de- 
mands was  for  a  right  guaranteed  by  the  laws  of  the  state ; 
this  was  a  -significant  fact,  and  he  urged  the  men  not  to  in- 
clude other  demands.  After  some  argument  they  voted 
down  the  proposition  of  the  radicals,  who  wanted  a  ten 
per  cent,  increase  in  wages.  Also  they  voted  down  the 
proposition  of  a  syndicalist-anarchist,  who  explained  to 
them  in  a  jumble  of  English  and  Italian  that  the  mines 
belonged  to  them,  and  that  they  should  refuse  all  com- 
promise and  turn  the  bosses  out  forthwith. 

While  this  speech  .was  being  delivered,  young  Rovetta 
pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd  and  drew  Hal  to  one 
side.  -He  had  been  down  by  the  railroad-station  and  seen 
the  morning  train  come  in.  ETom  it  had  descended  a 
crowd  of  thirty  or  forty  men,  of  that  "  hard  citizen  "  type 
which  every  miner  in  the  district  could  recognise  at  the 
first  glance.  Evidently  the  company  officials  had  been 
keeping  the  telephone-wires  busy  that  night;  they  were 
bringing  in,  not  merely  this  train-load  of  guards,  but  auto- 
mobile loads  from  other  camps  —  from  the  Northeastern 
down  the  canyon,  ;and  from  Barela,  in  a  side  canyon  over 
the  mountain. 

Hal  told  this  news  to  the  meeting,  which  received  it 
with  howls  of  rage.  So  that  was.  the  bosses'  plan !  Hot- 


312  KING  GOAL 

heads  sprang  upon  the  cinder-heap,  half  a  dozen  of  them 
trying  to  make  speeches  at  once.  The  leaders  had  to  sup- 
press these  too  impetuous  ones  by-main  force;  once  more 
Hal  gave  the  warning  of  "  No  fighting!  "  They  were  go- 
ing to  have  faith  in  their  union ;  they  were  going  to  present 
a  solid  front  to  the  company,  and  the  company  would  learn 
the  lesson  that  intimidation  would  not  win  a  strike. 

So  it  was  agreed,  and  the  committee  set  out  for  the  com- 
pany's office,  Wauchope  carrying  in  his  hand  the  written 
demands  of  the  meeting.  Behind  the  committee  marched 
the  crowd  in  a  solid  mass.;  they  packed  the  street  in  front 
of  the  office,  while  the  heroic  seven  went  up  the  steps  and 
passed  into  the  building.  Wauchope  made  inquiry  for 
Mr.  Cartwright,  and  a  clerk  took  in  the  message. 

They  stood  waiting;  and  meanwhile,  one  of  the  office- 
people,  coming  in  from  the  street,  beckoned  to. Hal.  He 
had<:an  envelope  in  his  hand;  and  gave  it  over  without  a 
word.  It  was  addressed,  "  Joe  Smith,"  "and  Hal  opened 
it,  and  found  within  a  small  visiting  card,  at  which  lie 
stared.  ,  "  Edward  S.  Warner,  Jr." ! 

For  a  moment  Hal  could  hardly  believe  the  evidence  of 
his  eyesight.  Edward  in  North  Valley!  Then,  turning 
the  card  over,  he  read,  in  his  brother's  familiar  handwrit- 
ing, "  I  am  at  Cartwright's  house.  I  must  see  you.  The 
matter  concerns  Dad.  Come  instantly." 

Fear  leaped  into  Hal's  heart.  What  could  such  a  mes- 
sage mean? 

He  turned  quickly  to  the  committee  and  explained. 
•"  My  father's  an  old  man,  and  had  a  stroke  of  apoplexy 
ihree  years,  ago.  I'm  afraid  he  may  be  dead,  or  very  ill. 
I  must  go." 

"It's  a  trick !  "  cried  Wauchope  excitedly. 

"  No,  not  possibly,"  answered  Hal.  "  I  know  my 
brother's  handwriting.  I  must  see  him." 

"  Well,"  declared  the  other,  "  we'll  wait.  We'll  not  see 
Oartwright  until  you  get  back." 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL      •         313 

Hal  considered  this.  "  I  don't  think  that's  wise/'  he 
said.  "  You  can  do  what  you  have  to  do  just  as  well  with-, 
out  me." 

"  But  I  wanted  you  to  do  the  talking!  " 

"  No/7  replied  Hal,  "  that's  your  business,  Wauchope. 
You  are  the-  president  of  the  union.  You  know  what  the 
men  want,  as  well  as  I  do ;  you  know  what  they  complain 
of.  And  besides,  there's  not  going  to  be  any  need  of  talk- 
ing with  Cart  wright.  Either  he's  going  to  grant  our  de- 
mands or  Jbe  isn't." 

They  discussed  the  matter  back  and  forth.  Mary  Burke 
insisted  that  they  were  pulling  Hal  away  just  at  the  criti- 
cal moment!  He  laughed  as  he  answered.  She  was  as 
good  as  any  man  when  it  came  to  an  argument.  If  Wau- 
chope showed  signs  of  weakening,  let  her  speak  up ! 


§  10.  So  Hal  hurried  off,  and  climbed  the  street  which 
led  to  the  superintendent's  house,  a  concrete  bungalow  set 
upon  a  little  elevation  overlooking  the  camp.  He  rang  the 
bell,  and  the  door  opened,  and. in  the  entrance  stood  his 
brother. 

Edward  Warner  was  eight  years  older  than  Hal;  the 
perfect  type  of  the  young  American  business 'man.  His 
figure  was  erect  and  athletic,  his  features  were  regular  and 
strong,  his  voice,  his  manner,  everything  about  him  spoke 
of  quiet  decision,  of  energy  precisely  directed.  As  a  rule, 
he  was  a  model  of  what  the  tailor's  art  could  do,  but  just 
now  there  was  something  abnormal  about  his  attire  as  well 
as  his  manner. 

Hal's  anxiety  had  been  increasing  all  the  way  up  the 
street.  "  What's  the  matter  with  Dad  ?  "  he  cried. 

"Dad's  all  right,"  was  the  answer — "that  is,  for  the 
moment." 

"  Then  what  —  ?  " 

"  Peter  Harrigan's  on  his  way  back  from  the  East. 


314  KING  COAL 

He's  due  in  Western  City  to-morrow.  You  can  see  that 
something  will  be  the  matter  with  Dad  unless  you  quit  this 
business  at  once." 

Hal  had  a  sudden  reaction  from  his  fear.  "  So  that's 
all !  "  he  exclaimed. 

His  brother  was  gazing  at  the  young  miner,  dressed  in 
sooty  blue  overalls,  his  face  streaked  with  black,  his  wavy 
hair  all  mussed.  "  You  wired  me  you  were  going  to 
leave  here,  Hal !  " 

"  So  I  was ;  but  things  happened  that  I  couldn't  fore- 
see. There's  a  strike." 

"  Yes ;  but  what's  that  got  to  do  with  it  ?  "  Then,  with 
exasperation  in  his  voice,  "  For  God's  sake,  Hal,  how  much 
farther  do  you  expect  to  go  ?  " 

Hal  stood  for  a  few  moments,  looking  at  his  brother. 
Even  in  a  tension  as  he  was,  he  could  not  help  laughing. 
"  I  know  how  all  this  must  seem  to  you,  Edward.  It's  a 
long  story ;  I  hardly  know  how  to  begin." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not,"  said  Edward,  drily. 

And  Hal  laughed  again.  "  Well,  we  agree  that  far,  at 
any  rate.  What  I  was  hoping  was  that  we  could  talk  it  all 
over  quietly,  after  the  excitement  was  past.  When  I  ex- 
plain to  you  about  conditions  in  this  place — " 

But  Edward  interrupted.  "  Really,  Hal,  there's  no  use 
of  such  an  argument.  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  condi- 
tions in  Peter  Harrigan's  camps." 

The  smile  left  Hal's  face.  "  Would  you  have  pre- 
ferred, to  have  me  investigate  conditions  in  the  Warner 
camps  ?  "  Hal  had  tried  to  suppress  his  irritation,  but 
there  was  simply  no  way  these  tAvo  could  get  along. 
"We've  had  our  arguments  about  these  things,  Edward, 
and  you've  always  had  the  best  of  me  —  you  could  tell  me 
I  wras  a  child,  it  was  presumptuous  of  me  to  dispute  your 
assertions.  But  now-— well,  I'm  a  child  no  longer,  and 
we'll  have  to  meet  on  a  new  basis." 

Hal's  tone,  more  than  his  words,  made  an  impression. 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  315 

Edward  thought  before  he  spoke.  "Well,  what's  your 
uewbasis  I  " 

fct  Just  now  I'm  in  the  midst  of 'a  strike,  and  I  canjiardly 
stop  to  explain." 

"  You  don't  think  of  Dad  in  all  this  madness  ?  " 

"  I  think  of  Dad,  and  of  you  too,  Edward;  but  this  is 
hardly  the  time  • — " 

"  If  ever  in  the  world  there  was  a  time,  this  is  it !  " 

Hal  groaned  inwardly.  "All  right,"  he.  said,  "sit 
down.  I'll  try  to  give  you  some  idea  how  I  got  swept  into 
this." 

He  began  to  tell  about  the  conditions  he  had  found  in 
this  stronghold  of  the  "  G.  F.  C."  As  usual,  when  he 
talked  about  it,  -he  became  absorbed  in  its  human  as- 
pects ;  a  fervour  came  into  his  tone,  he  was  carried  on,  'as 
he  had  been  when  he  tried  to  argue  with  the  officials  in 
Pedro.  But  his  eloquence  was  interrupted,  even  as  it  had 
been  then;  he  discovered  that,  his  brother, was  in  such  a 
state  of  exasperation  that  he  could  not  listen  to  a  con- 
secutive argument. 

It  was  the  old,  old  story ;  it  had  been  thus  as  far  back  as 
Hal  could  remember.  It  seemed  one  of  the  mysteries  of 
nature,  how  she  could  have  brought  two  such  different 
temperaments  out  of  the  same  parentage.  Edward  was 
practical  and  positive;  he  knew  what  he  wanted  in  the 
world,  and  he  knew  how  to  get  it;  he  was  never  troubled 
with  doubts,  nor  with  self-questioning,  nor  with  any  other 
superfluous  emotions ;.  he  could  not  understand  people  who 
allowed  that  sort  of  waste  in  their  mental  processes.  He 
could  not  understand  people  who  got  ".swept  into  things." 

In  the  beginning,  he  had  had  with  llal  the  prestige  of 
the  elder  brother.  He  was  handsome  •  as  a  young  Greek 
god,  he  was  strong  and  masterful ;  whether  he  was  flying 
over  the  ice  with  sure,  strong  strokes,  or  cutting  the  water 
with  his  glistening  shoulders,  or  bringing  down  a  partridge 
with  the  certainty  and  swiftness  of  a  lightning  stroke, 


316  KING  COAL 

Edward  was  the  incarnation  of  Success.  When  he  said 
that  one's  ideas  were  "  rot,"  when  he  spoke  with  contempt 
of  "  mollycoddles  " —  then  indeed  one  suffered  in  soul,  and 
had  to  go  back  to  Shelley  and  Ixuskin  to  renew  one's 
courage. 

The  questioning  of  life  had  begun  very  early  with  Hal ; 
there  seemed  to  be  something  in  his  nature  which  forced 
him  to  go  to  the  roots  of  things ;  and  'much  as  he  looked 
up  to  his  wonderful  brother,  he  had  been  made  to  realise 
that  there  were  sides  of  life  to  which  this  brother  was 
blind.  To  begin,  with,  there  were  religious  doubts ;  the 
distresses  of  mind  which  plague  a  young  man  when  first 
it  dawns  upon  him  that  the  faith  he  has  been  brought  up 
in  is  a  higher  kind  of  fairy-tale.  Edward  had  never 
asked  such  questions,  apparently.  He  went  to  church,  be- 
cause it  was  the  thing  to  do ;  more  especially  because  it  was 
pleasing  to  the  young  lady  he  wished  to  marry  to  have  him 
put  on  stately  clothes,  and  escort  her  to  a  beautiful  place 
of  music  and  fldwers  and  perfumes,  where  she  would  meet 
her  friends,  also  in  stately  clothes.  .How  abnormal  it 
seemed  to  Edward  that  a  young  man  should  give  up  this 
pleasant  custom,  merely  because  he  could  not  be  sure  that 
Jonah  had  swallowed  a  whale ! 

But  it  was  when  Hal's  doubts  attacked  his  brother's 
week*day  religion —  the  religion  of  the  profit-system  - 
that  the  controversy  between  them  had  become  deadly. 
At  first  Hal  had  known  nothing  about  practical:  affairs, 
and  it  had  been  Edward's  duty  to  answer  his  questions. 
The  prosperity  of  the  country  had  been  built  up  by  strong 
men ;  and  these  meji  had  enemies  —  evil-minded  persons, 
animated  by  jealousy  and  other  base  passions,  seeking  to 
tear  dbwri  the  mighty  structure.  At  first  this  devil-theory 
had  satisfied  the  boy;  but  later  on,  as  he  had  come  to  read 
and  observe,  he  had  been  plagued  by  doubts.  In  the  end, 
listening  to  his  brother's  conversation,  and  reading  the 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  317 

writings  of  so-called  "  muck-rakers,"  the  realisation,  was 
forced  upon  him  that  there  were  two  types  of  mind  in  the 
controversy  —  those  who  thought  of  profits,  and  those  who 
thought  of  human  beings. 

Edward  was  alarined  at  the  books  Hal  was  reading ;  he 
was  still  more  alarmed  when  he  saw  'the  ideas  Hal  was 
bringing  home  from  college.  There  must  have  been  some 
strange  change  in  Harrigan  in  "a  few  years ;  no  one  had 
dreamed  of  such  ideas  when  Edward  was  there!  No. one 
had  written  satiric  songs  about  the  faculty,  or  the  endow- 
ments of  eminent  philanthropists ! 

In  the  meantime  Edward  Warner  Senior  had  had  a 
Daralytic  stroke,  and  Edward  Junior  had  taken  charge  of 
;he  .company.  Three  years  of  this  had  given  him  the  point 
of  view  of  a  coal-operator,  hard  and  set  for  a  life-time. 
The  business  of  a  coal-operator  was  to  buy  his  labour 
cheap,  to  turn  out  the  maximum  product  in.  the  shortest 
time,  and  to  sell  the  product  at  the  market  price  to  parties 
whose  credit  was  satisfactory.  If  a  concern  was  doing 
that,  it  was  a  successful  concern ;  for  any  one  to  mention 

at  it  was  making  wrecks  of  the  people  whovdug  the  coal, 
was  to  be  guilty  of  sentimentality  and  impertinence. 

Edward  had  heard  with  dismay  his  brother's  announce- 
ment that  he  meant  to  study  industry  by  spending  his  va? 
cation  as  a  common  labourer.  However,  when  he  consid- 
ered it,  he  was  inclined  "to  tlpnk  that  the  idea  might  not 
be  such  a  bad  one.  Perhaps  Hal  would  not  find  what  he 
was  looking  for;  perhaps,  working  with  his  hands,  he 
might  get  some  of  the  nonsense  knocked  out  of  his  head ! 

But  now  the  experiment  had  been  made,  and  the  reve- 
lation had  burst  upon  Edward  that  it  had  been  a  ghastly 
failure.  Hal  had  not  come  to  realise  that  labour  was 
turbulent  and  lazy  and  incompetent;  needing  a  strong  hand 
to  rule  it;  on  the  contrary,  he  had  become  one  of  these 
turbulent  ones  himself!  A  champion  of  the  lazy  and  in- 


318  KING  COAL 

'competent,  an  agitator/ a  fonrenter  of  class-prejudice,  an 
enemy  of  his 'own  friends,  and  of  his  brother's  business 
associates ! 

Never  had  Hal  seen  Edward  in  such  a  state  of  excite- 
ment. There  was  something  really  abnormal  about  him, 
Hal  realised ;  it  puzzled  him  vaguely  while  he  talked,  but 
he  did  not  understand  it  until  his  brother  told  how  he  had 
come  to  be  here.  He  had  been  attending  a  dimier^dance 
at  the  home  of  a  friend,  and  Percy  Harrigan  had  got  him 
on  the  telephone'  at  half  past  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 
Percy  had  had  a  message  from  Cartwright,  to  the  effect 
that  Hal  was  leading  a  riot  in  North  Valley ;  Percy  had 
painted  the  situation  in  such  lurid  colours  that  Edward 
had  made  a  dash  and  caught  the  midnight  train,  wearing 
his  evening  clothes,  and  without  so  much  as  a  tooth-brush, 
with  him ! 

Hal  could  hardly  keep  from  bursting  out   laughing. 
His  brother,  his  punctilious  and  dignified  brother,  alight- 
ing from  a  sleeping-car  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning, : 
wearing  a  dress  suit  and  a  silk  hat!     And  here  he  was, 
Edward  Warner  Junior,  the  fastidious,  who  never  paid 
less  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  a  suit  of  clothes, 
clad  in  a  "  hand-me-down  "  for  which  he  had  expended i 
twelve  dollars  and  forty-eight  cents  in  a  "  Jew-store  "  inj 
a  coal-town  I 


§11.     But  Edward  would  not  stop  for  a  single  smile; 
his  every  faculty  was  absorbed  in  the  task  he  had  before>j 
him,  to  get  his  brother  out  of  this  predicament,  so  dan- 
gerous  and   so   humiliating.     Hal   had   come   to   a   town 
owned  by  Edward's  business  friends,  and  had  proceeded 
to  meddle  in  their  affairs,  to  stir  up  their  labouring  people; 
and  imperil  their1  property.     That  North  Valley  was  th6; 
property  of  the  General  Fuel  Company  —  not  merely  the 
mines  and  the  houses,  but  likewise  the  people  who  lived  in^ 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  319 

them — -Edward  seemed  to  have  no  doubt  whatever;  Hal 
got  only  exclamations  of  annoyance  when  he  suggested 
any  other  ^point  of  view.  Would  there  have  been  any  town 
of  North  Valley,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  capital  and 
energy  of  the  General  Fuel  Company  \  If  the  people  of 
North  Valley  did  not  like  the  conditions  which  the  General 
Fuel  Company  offered  them,  they  had  one  simple  and 
obvious  remedy  —  to  go  .somewhere  else  to  work.  But 
they  stayed;  they  got  out  the  General  Fuel  Company's 
coal,  they  took  the  General  Fuel  Company's  wages  — 

"  Well,  they've  stopped  taking  them  now,"  put  in  Hal. 

All  right,  that  was  their  affair,  replied  Edward.  But 
let  them  stop  because  they  wanted  to  —  not  because  out- 
side agitators  put  them  up  to  it.  At  any  rate,  let  the  agi- 
tators not  include  a  member  of  the  Warner  family ! 

The  elder  brother  pictured  old  Peter  Harrigan  on  his 
way  back  from  the  East;  the  state  of  unutterable  fury  in 
which  he  wrould  arrive,  the  storm  he  would  raise  in  the 
business  world  of  Western  City.  Why,  it  was  unimagin- 
able, such  a  thing  had  never  been  heard  of !  "  And  right 
when  we're  opening  up  a  new  mine  —  when  we  need  every 
dollar  of  credit  we  can  get !  " 

"  Aren't  we  big  enough  to  stand  off  Peter  Harrigan  ?  " 
inquired  Hal. 

"  We  have  plenty  of  other  people  to  stand  off,"  was  the 
answer.  "  We  don't  have  to  go  out  of  our  way  to  make 
enemies." 

'  Edward  spoke,  not  merely  as  the  elder  brother,  but  also 
as  the  money-man  of  the  family.  When  the  father  had 
broken  down  from  over-work,  and  had  been  changed  in  one 
terrible  hour  from  a  driving  man  of  affairs  into  a  childish 
and  pathetic  invalid,  Hal  had  been  glad  enou'gh  that  there, 
was  one  member  of  the  family  who  was  practical ;  he  had 
been  perfectly  willing  to  see  his  brother  shoulder  these 
burdens,  while  he  wTent  off  to  college,  to  amuse  himself 
with  satiric  songs.  Hal  had  no  responsibilities,  no  one 


320  KING  COAL 

asked  anything  of  him  —  except  that  he  would  not  throw 
sticks  into  the  wheels  of  the  machine  his  brother  was  run- 
•ning.  "You  are  living  by  the  coal  industry!  Every 
dollar  you  spend  comes  from  it  — " 

Vsi  know  it!  I  know  it!"  cried  Hal.  "That's  the 
thing  that  .torments  me!  The  fact  that  I'm  living  upon 
the  bounty  of  such  wage-slaves  — " 

"  Oh?  cut  it  out!  "  cried  Edward.  "  That's  not  what  I 
mean !  " 

"I  know  —  but  it's  what  /  mean!  From  now  on  I 
mean  to  know  about  the  people  who  work  for  me,  and 
what  sort  of  treatment  they  get.  I'm  no' longer  your  kid- 
brother,  to  be  put  off  with  platitudes." 

'  You  know  ours  are  union  mines,  Hal  — " 

"  Yes,  but  what  does  that  mean  ?     How  do  we  work  it  ? 
Do  we  give  the  men  their  weights  ?  " 
• '"  Of  course!     They  have  their  check- weighmen." 

"But  then,  how  do  we  compete  with  the  operators  in 
this  district,  who  pay  for  a  ton  of  three  thousand  pounds  '(  " 

'"  We  manage  it  — -  by  economy." 

"  Economy  ?  I  don't  see  Peter  Harrigan  wasting  any- 
thing here !  "  Hal  paused  for  an  answer,  but  none  came. 
"  Do  we  buy  the  check-wTeighmen  ?  Do  we  bribe  the  la- 
bour leaders  ?  " 

Edward  coloured  slightly.  "  What's  the  use  of  being 
nasty,  Hal  ?  You  know  I  don't  do  dirty  work." 

"  I  don't  mean  to  be  nasty,  Edward ;  but  you  must  know 
that  many  a  business-man  can  say  he  doesn't  do  dirty 
work,  because  he  has  others  do  it  for  him.  What  about 
politics,  for  instance?  Do  we  run  a  machine,  and  put  our 
clerks  and  bosses  into  the  local  offices  ?  " 

Edward  did  not  answer,  and  Hal  persisted,  "  I  mean 
to  know  these  things!  I'm  not  going  to  be  blind  any 
more !  " 

"All  right,  Hal  —  you  can  know  anything  you  want; 
but  for  God's  sake,  not  now!  If  you  want  to  be  taken  for 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  321 

a'  man,  show  a  man's  common  sense!  Here's  Old  Peter 
getting  back  to.  Western  City  to-morrow  night!  Don't 
you  know  that  he'll  be  after  me,  raging  like  a  mad  bull  ? 
Don't  you  know  that  if  I  tell  him  I  can  do  nothing  —  that 
I've  been  down  here  and  tried  to  pull  you.  away  —  don't 
you  know  he'll  go  after  Dad  I  " 

Edward  had  tried  all,  the  arguments,  and  this  was  the 
only  one  that  counted.  "  You  must  keep  him  away  from 
Bad-!  '7  exclaimed  Hal. 

"  You  tell  me  that!  "  retorted  the  other.  "And  when 
you  know  Old  Peter!  Don't  you  know  he'll  get  at  him, 
if  he  has  to  break  down  the  door  of  the  house?  He'll 
throw  the  burden  of  'his  rage  on  that  poor  old  man! 
You've  been  warned  about  it  clearly ;  you  know  it  may  be 
a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  keep  Dad  from  getting  ex- 
cited. I  don't  know  what  he'd  do;  maybe  he'd  fly  into  a 
rage  with  you,  maybe  .he'd  defend  you.  He's  old  and 
weak,  he's  lost  .his  grip  on  things.  Anyhow,  he'd  not  let 
Peter  abuse  you  —  and  like  as  not  he'd  drop  dead  in  the 
midst  of  tie  dispute !  Do  you  want  to  have  that  on  your 
conscience,  along  with  the  troubles  of  your  workingmeii 
friends  2  " 


§12.  Hal  sat  staring  in  front  of  him,  silent.  Was 
it  a  fact  that  every  man  had  something  in  his  life  which, 
palsied  his  arm,  and  struck  him  helpless  in  the  battle  for 
social  justice  ? 

When  he  spoke  again,  it  was  in  a  low  voice.  "  Edward, 
I'm  thinking  about  a  young  Irish  boy  who  works  in  these 
mines.  He,  too;  has  a  father ;  and  this  father  was  caught 
in  the  explosion.  He's  an  old  man,  with  a  wife  .and  seven 
other  children.  He's  a  good  man,  the  boy's  a  good  boy. 
Let  me  tell  you  what  Peter  Harrigan  has  done  to  them !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Edward,  "  whatever  it  is,  it's  all  right, 
you  can  help  them.  They  won't  need  to  starve." 


322  KING ,  COAL 

"  I  know/'  said  Hal,  "  but  there  are  so  many  others ; 
I  can't  help  them  all.  And  besides,  can't  you  see,  Ed- 
ward —  what  I'm  thinking  about  is  not  charity,  but  jus- 
tice. I'm  sure  this  boy,  Tim  RaiTerty,  loves  his  father 
just  exactly  as  much  as  I  love  my  father;  and  there  are 
other  old  men  here,  with  sons  who  love  them  — " 

"  Oh,  Hal,  for  Christ's  sake !  "  exclaimed  Edward,  in 
a  sort  of  explosion.  He  had  no  other  words  to  express  his 
impatience.  "  Do  you  expect  to  take  all  the  troubles  in 
the  world  on  your  shoulders  ?  "  And  he  sprang  up  and 
caught  the  other  by  the  arm.  "  Boy,  you've  got  to  come 
away  from  here!  " 

Hal  got  up,  without  answering.  ,  He  seemed  irresolute, 
and  his  brother  started  to  draw  him  towards  the  door. 
"  I've  got  a  car  here.  We  can  get  a  train  in  an  hour  — " 

Hal.  saw  that  he  had  to  speak  firmly.  "  No,  Edward," 
he  said.  "  I  can't  come  just  yet." 

"  I  tell  you  you  must  come !  " 

"  I  can't.     I  made  these  men  a  promise !  " 

"  In  God's  name  —  what  are  these  men  to  you  ?  Com- 
pared with  your  own  father !  '.' 

"  I  can't  explain  it,  Edward.  I've  talked  for  half  an 
hour,  and  I .  don't  think  you've  even  heard  me.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  I  see  these  people  caught  in  a  trap  —  and  one 
that  my  whole  life  has  helped  to  make.  I  can't  leave 
them  in  it.  What's  more,  I  don't  believe  Dad  would 
want  me  to  do  it,  if  he  understood." 

The  other  made  a  last  effort  at  self-control.  "  I'm  not 
going  to  call  you  a  sentimental  fool.  Only,  let  me  ask 
you  one  plain  question.  What  do  you  think  you  can  do 
for  these  people  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  can  help  to  win  decent  conditions  for  them." 

"Good  God!  "  cried  Edward;  he  sighed,  in  his  agony 
of  exasperation.  "  In  Peter  Harrigan's  mines !  Don't 
you  realise  that  he'll  pick  them  up  and  throw  them  out  of 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  323 

here,  neck  and  crop  —  the  whole  crew,  every  man  in  the 
town,  if  necessary  \  " 

"  Perhaps,"  answered  Hal ;  "  but  if  the  men  in  the  other 
mines  should  join  them  —  if  the  big  union  outside  should 
stand  by  them  - 

"  You're  dreaming,  Hal !  You're  talking  like  a  child ! 
I  talked  to  the  superintendent  here ;  he  had  telegraphed 
the  situation  to  Old  Peter,  and  had  just  got  an  answer. 
Already  he's  acted,  no  doubt." 

"  Acted  ?  "  echoed  Hal.  "  How  do  you  mean  ?  "  He 
was  staring  at  his  brother  in  sudden  anxiety. 

"  They  were  going  to  turn  the  agitators  out,  of  course." 

"  What?     And  while  I'm  here  talking!  " 

Hal  turned  toward  the  door.  "-You  knew  it  all  the 
time !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  You  kept  me  here  deliberately !  " 

He  was  starting  away,  but  Edward  sprang  and  caught 
him.  "  What  could  you  have  done  ?  " 

"  Turn  me  loose !  "  cried  Hal,  angrily. 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,  Hal !  I've  been  trying  to  keep  you 
out  of  the  trouble.  There  may  be  fighting." 

Edward  threw  himself  between  Hal  and  the  door,  and 
there  was  a  sharp  struggle.  But  the  elder  man  was  no 
longer  the  athlete,  the  young  bronzed  god;  he  had  been 
sitting  at  a  desk  in  an  office,  while  Hal  had  been  doing 
hard  labour.  Hal  threw  him  to  one  side,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment more  had  sprung  out  of  the  door,  and  was  running 
down  the  slope. 


§  13.  .  Coming  to  the  main  street  of  the  village,  Hal 
saw  the  crowd  in  front  of  the  office.  One  glance  told 
him  that  something  Jiad  happened.  Men  were  running 
this  way  and  that,  gesticulating,  shouting.  Some  were 
coming  in  his  direction,  and  when  they  saw  him  they  be- 
gan to  yell  to  him.  The  first  to  reach  him  was  Klowoski, 


324  KING  COAL 

the  little  Pole,  breathless ;  gasping  with  excitement. 
"  They  fire  our  committee! •" 

"  Eire  them?". 

"  Fire  'em  out !  Down  canyon !  "  The  little  man  was 
waving  his  arms  in  wild  gestures;  his  eyes  seemed  about 
to  start  out  of  his  head.  "  Take  'em  off !  Whole  bunch 
fellers  —  gunmen  !  .  People  see  them  —  come  out  back 
door.  Got  ever'body's  arm  tied.  Gunmen  fellers  hold 
'ern,  don't  let  'em  holler,  can't"  do  nothin' !  Got  them 
cars  waitin' —  what  you  call  ?  — " 

"Automobiles?" 

"  Sure,  got  three !  Put  ever'body  in,  quick  like  that  — 
they  go  down  road  like  wind  !  Go  down  canyon,  all  gone ! 
They  bust  our  strike !  "  And  the  little  Pole's  voice  ended 
in  a  howl  of  despair. 

"  No,  they  won't  bust  our  strike !  "  exclaimed  Hal. 
"  Not  yet !  " 

Suddenly  he  was  reminded  of  the  fact  that  his  brother 
had  followed  him  —  puffing  hard,  for  the  run  had  been 
strenuous.  He  caught  Hal  by  the  arm,  exclaiming, 
"  Keep  out  of  this,  I  tell  you !  " 

Thus  while  Hal  was  questioning  Klowoski,  he  was  strug- 
gling half-unconsciously,  to  free  himself  from  his  brother's 
grasp.  Suddenly  the  matter  was  forced  to  an  issue,  for 
the  little  Polack  emitted  a  cry  like  an  angry  cat,  and  went 
at  Edward  with  fingers  outstretched  like  claws.  Hal's 
dignified  brother  would  have  had  to  part  with  his  dignity, 
if  Hal  had  not  caught  Klowoski's  onrush  with  his  other 
arm.  "  Let  him  alone !  "  he  said.  "  It's  my  brother  !  " 
Whereupon  the  little  man  fell  back  and  stood  watching  in 
bewilderment. 

Hal  saw  Androkulos  running  to  him.  The  Greek  boy 
had  been  in  the  street  back  of  the  office,  and  had  seen  the 
committee  carried  off ;  nine  people  had  been  taken  — • 
Wauchope,  Tim  Rafferty,  and  Mary  Burke,  Marcelli, 
Zammakis  and  Rusick,  and  three  others  who  had  served 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  325 

as  interpreters  on  the  night  before.  It  had  all  been  done 
so  quickly 'that  the  crowd  had  scarcely  realised  what  was 
happening. 

'Now,  having  grasped  the  meaning  of  it,  the  men  were 
beside  themselves  with  rage.  They  shook  their  fists,  shout- 
ing defiance  to  a  group  of  officials  and  guards  who  were 
visible  upon  the  porch  of  the  office-building.  There  was 
a  clamour  of  shouts  for  revenge. 

Hal  could  see  instantly  the  dangers,  of  the  situation; 
he  was  like  a  man  watching  the  burning  fuse  -pf  a  bomb. 
Now,  if  ever,  this  polyglot  horde  must  have  leadership'— 
wise  and  cool  and  resourceful  leadership. 

The  crowd,  discovering  his  presence,  surged  down  upon 
him  like'  a  wave.  They  gathered  round  him,  -howling. 
They  had  lost  the  rest  of  their,  committee,  but  they  still  had 
Joe  Smith.  Joe  Smith  !  Hurrah  for  Joe  !  Let  the  gun- 
men take  him, "if  they  could!  They  waved  their  caps, 
they  tried  to  lift  him  upon  their  shoulders,  so  that  all  could 
see  him. 

There  was  clamour  for  a  speech,  and  Hal  started  to  make 
his  way  to  the  steps  of  the  nearest  building,  with  Edward 
holding  on  to  his  coat.  Edward  was  jostled;  he  had  to 
part  with  his  dignity  — but  he  did  not  part  with  his 
brother.  And  when  Hal  was  about  to  mount  the  steps, 
Edward  made  a  last  desperate  effort,  shouting  into  his  ear, 
"Wait  a  minute!  Wait!  Are  you  going  to  try  to  talk 
to  this  mob  ?  " 

"Of  course.  Don't  you  -  see  there'll  be  trouble  if  I 
don't  ?  " 

"  You'll  get  yourself  killed !  You'll  start  a  fight,  and 
get  a  lot  of  these  poor  devils  shot!  Use  your  common 
sense,  Hal;  the  company  has  brought  in  guards,  and  they 
are  armed,  and  your  people  aren't." 

"  That's  exactly  why  I  have  to  speak !  " 
'The  discussion  was  carried  on  under  difficulties,   the 
elder  brother  clinging  to  the  younger's  arm,   while  the 

22 


326  KING  COAL 

younger  sought  to  pull  free,  and  the  mob  shouted  with  a 
single  voice,  "  Speech !  Speech !  "  There  were  some 
near  by  who,  like  Klowoski,  did  not  relish  having  this 
stranger  interfering  with  their  champion,  and  showed 
signs  of  a  disposition  to  "  mix  in  "  ;  so  at  last  Edward  gave 
up  the  struggle,  and  the  orator  mounted  the  steps  and  faced 
the  throng. 


§  14.     Hal  raised  his  arms  as  a  signal  for  silence. 

"  Boys,"  he  cried,  "  they've  kidnapped  our  committee. 
They  think  they'll  break  our  strike  that  way  —  but  they'll 
find  they've  made  a  mistake !  " 

"  They  will !     Right  you  are !  "  roared  a  score  of  voices. 

"  They  forget  that  we've  got  9,  union.  Hurrah  for  our 
North  Valley  union  !  " 

"  Hurrah !  Hurrah !  "  The  cry  echoed  to  the  canyon- 
walls. 

"  And  hurrah  for  the  big  union  that  will  back  us  —  the 
United  Mine-Workers  of  America !  " 

Again  the  yell  rang  out ;  again  and  again.  "  Hurrah 
for  the  union !  Hurrah  for  the  United  Mine-Workers !  " 
A  big  American  miner,  Ferris,,  was  in  the  front  of  the 
throng,  and  his  voice  beat  in  Hal's  ears  like  a  steam-siren. 

"  Boys,"  Hal  resumed,  when  at  last  he  could  be  heard, 
"  use  your  brains  a  moment.  I  warned  you  they  would 
try  to  provoke  you !  They  would  like  nothing  better  than 
to  start  a  scrap  here,  and  get  a  chance  to  smash  our  union ! 
Don't  forget  that,  boys,  if  they  can  make  you  fight,  they'll 
smash  the  union,  and  the  union  is  our  only  hope !  " 

Again  ca.me  the  cry :  "  Hurrah  for  the  union !  "  Hal 
let  them  shout  it  in  twenty  languages,  until  they  were  sat- 
isfied. 

"  Now,  boys,"  he  went  on,  at  last,  "  they've  shipped  out 
our  committee.  They  may  ship  me  out  in  the  same 
way  — " 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  327 

"  No,  they  won't!  "  shouted  voices  in  the  crowd.  And 
there  was  a  bellow  of  rage  from  Ferris.  "  Let  them  try 
it !  We'll  burn  them  in  their  beds !  " 

"  But  they  can  ship,  -me  out!"  argued  Hal.  "  You 
know  they  can  beat  us  at  that  game !  They  can  call  on  the 
sheriff,  they  can  get  the  soldiers,  if  necessary!  We  can't 
oppose  them  by  force  —  they  can  turn  out  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  village,  if  they  choose.  What 
we  have  to  get  clear  is  that  even  that  won't  crush  our  union  ! 
Nor  the  big  union  outside,  that  will  be  backing  us !  We 
can  hold  out,  and  make  them  take  us  back  in  the  end !  " 

Some  of  Hal's  friends,  seeing  what  he  was  trying  to  do, 
came  to  his  support.  "  No  fighting !  No  violence ! 
Stand  by  the  union !  "  And  he  went  on  to  drive  the  lesson 
home ;  even  though  the  company  might  evict  them,  the  big 
union  of  the  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  mine-work-, 
ers  of  the  country  would  feed  them,  it  would  call  out  the 
rest  of  the  workers  in  the  district  in  sympathy.  So  the 
bosses,  who  thought  to  starve  and  cow  them  into  submis- 
sion, would  find  their  mines  lying  permanently  idle.  They 
would  be  forced  to  give  way,  and  the  tactics  of  solidarity 
would  triumph. 

So  Hal  went  on,  recalling  the  things  Olson  had  told  him, 
and  putting  them  into  practice.  He  saw  hope  in  their 
faces  again,  dispelling  the  mood  of  resentment  and  rage. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  he,  "  I'm  going  in  to  see  the  super- 
intendent for  you.  I'll  be  your  committee,  since  they've 
shipped  out  the  rest." 

The  steam-siren  of  Ferris  bellowed  again :  "  You're 
the  boy !  Joe  Smith !  " 

"  All  right,  men  —  now  mind  what  I  say !  I'll  see  the 
super,  and  then  I'll  go  down  to  Pedro,  where  there'll  be 
some  officers  of  the  United  Mine-workers  this  morning. 
I'll  tell  them  the  situation,  and  ask  them  to  back  you. 
That's  what  you  want,  is  it  ?  " 

That  was  what  they  wanted.     "  Big  union !  " 


328  KING  COAL 

"  All  right  I'll  do  the  best  I  can  for  you,  and  I'll  find 
someday  to  get  word  tb  you.  And  meantime  you  stand 
firm.  The  bosses  will  tell  you  lies,  they'll  try  to  deceive 
you,  they'll  send  spies  and  trouble-makers  among  you  — : 
but  you  bold  fast,,  and  wait  for  the  big  union." 

Hal  stood  looking  at  the  cheering  crowd.  He  had  time 
to  note  some  off  the  faces  upturned  to  him.  Pitiful,  toil- 
worn  faces  they  were,  each  making  its  separate  appeal, 
telling  its  individual,  story  of  .deprivation  and  defeat. 
Once  more  they,  were  transfigured^  shining  with  that 
wonderful  new  light  which  he  had  seen  for  the  first  time 
the  previous  evening.'  It  had  been  crushed  for  a  moment, 
but  it  flamed  up  *  again ;:  it  would  never  die  in  the  hearts 
of  men  —  once  they  had  learned  the  power  it  gave.  Noth- 
ing Hal  had  yet  seen  moved  him  so  much  as  this  new  birth 
bf  enthusiasm.  A  beautiful,  a  terrible1  thing  it  was! 

Hal  looked  at  his  brother,  to  see  how  he  had  Been  moved. 
What  he  saw  on  his  brother's  face  was  satisfaction,  bound- 
less,.relief.  The  matter  had  turned  out  all  right!  Hal 
was  coming  away ! 

Hal  turned  again  to  the  men ;  somehow,  after  his  glance 
at  Edward,  they  seemed  more  pitiful  than  ever.  For  Ed- 
ward typified  the  power  they  were  facing  —  the  unseeing, 
uncomprehending  power  that  meant  to  -crush  them.  The 
possibility  of  failure  was  revealed  to  Hal  in  a  flash  of  emo- 
tion, overwhelming  him.  He  saw  them  as  they  would  be, 
when  no  leader  was  at  hand  to  make  speeches  to  them. 
He  saw  them  waiting,  their  life-long  habit  of  obedience 
striving  to  reassert  itself ;  a  thousand  fears  besetting  them, 
a  thousand  rumours  preying  upon  them  —  wild  beasts  set 
on  them  by  their  cunning  enemies.  They  would  suffer, 
not  merely  for  themselves,  but  for  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren— -the  very  same  pangs  of  dread  that  Hal  suffered 
when  he  thought  of  one  old  man  up  in  Western  City,  whose 
doctors  had  warned  him  to  avoid  excitement. 

If  they  stood  firm,  if  they  kept  their  bargain  with 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  329 

their  leader,  they  would  be  evicted  from  their  homes,  they 

I  would  face  the  cold  of  the  coming  winter,  they  would  face 
hunger  and  the  black-list.  And  he,  meantime  —  what 
would  he  be  doing?  What  was  his  part  of  the  bargain? 
He  would  interview  the  superintendent  for  them,  he  would 
turn  them  over  to  the  "  big  union ;'—  and  then  he  would 

,  go  off  to  his  own  life  of  ease  and  pleasure.  \  To  eat  grilled 
steaks  and  hot  rolls  in  a  perfectly  appointed  club,  with 
suave  and  sof  tly-moying  servitors  at  his,  beck  I  To  dance 

-at  the  country  club  with  exquisite  creatures  of  chiffon  and 
satin,  of  perfume  and  sweet  smiles  and  careless,  happy 

.charms!.  No,  it  was  too  easy!  He  might  call  that  his 
duty  to  his  father  and  brother,  but  he  would  know  in  his 
heart  that  it  was  treason  to  life;  it  was  the  devil,  taking 
him  onto  a  high  mountain  and  showing  him  all  the  king- 

.  donis  of  the  earth ! 

Moved  by  a  sudden  impulse,  Hal  raised  his  hands  once 
more.  "  Boys,77  he  said,  "  we  understand  each  other  now. 

.You'll  not  go  back  to  work  till  the  big  union  tells  you. 
And  I,  for  my  part,  will  stand  by  you.  Your  cause  is  my 

-cause,  Fll  go  on  fighting  for  you  till  you  have  your  rights, 
till  you  can  live  and  work  as  men  !     Is  that  right '(  " 
"That's  right!     That's  right!" 

"  Very  good,  then  — we'll  swear  to  *  it  I"  And  Hal 
raised  his  hands,  and  the  men  raised  theirs,  and  amid  a 
storm  of  shouts,  and  a  frantic  waving  of  caps,  he  made 

.them  the  pledge,  which  he  knew  would  bind  his. own  con- 
science. He  made  it  deliberately,  there;  in  ,his  brother's 
presence.  This  was  no  mere  charge  on  a  trench,  it  was  en- 
listing for  a  war!  But  even  in  that  moment  of  fervour, 
Hal  would  have  been  frightened  had  he  realised  the  pe- 
riod of  that  enlistment,  the  years  of  weary  and  desperate 
conflict  to  which,  he  was  pledging  his  life. 


15.     Hal  descended  from  his  rostrum,  and  the  crowds 


330  KING  COAL 

made  way  for  him,  and  with  his  brother  at  his  side  he  went  jj 
down  the  street  to  the  office  building,  upon  the  porch  of 
which  the  guards  were  standing.     His  progress  was  a  tri— 
umphal  one ;  rough  voices  shouted  words  of  encouragement  ! 
in  his  ea,rs,  men  jostled  and  fought  to  shake  his  hand  or  to 
pat  him  on  the  back;  they  even  patted 'Edward  and  tried  to 
shake  his  hand,  because  he  was  with  Hal,  and  seemed  to 
have  his  confidence.     Afterwards  Hal  thought  it  over  and  * 
was  merry.     Such  an  adventure  for  Edward! 

The  younger  man  went  up  the  steps  of  the  building  and 
spoke  to  the  guards.  "  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Cartwright." 

"  He's  inside,"  answered  one,  not  cordially.     With  Ed- 
ward following,  Hal  entered,  and  was  ushered  into  the  pri-  \ 
vate  office  of  the  superintendent. 

Having  been  a  working-man,  and  class-conscious,  Hal 
was  observant  of  the  manners  of  mine-superintendents ; 
he  noted  that  Cartwright  bowed  politely  to  Edward,  but  ] 
did  not  include  Edward's  brother.     "  Mr.   Cartwright," 
he  said,  "  I  have  come  to  you  as  a  deputation  from  the  ; 
workers  of  this  camp." 

The  superintendent  did  not  appear  impressed  by  the  i 
announcement. 

"I  am  instructed  to  say  that  the  men  demand  the  re-  ' 
dress  of  four  grievances  before  they  return  to  work.  : 
First  — " 

Here  Cartwright  spoke,  in  his  quick,  sharp  way. 
"  There's  no  use  going  on,  sir.  This  company  will  deal 
only  with  its  men  as  individuals.  It  will  recognise  no 
deputations." 

Hal's  answer  was  equally  quick.  "  Very  well,  Mr. 
Cartwright.  In  that  case,  I  come  to  you  as  an  individual." 

Eor  a  moment  the  superintendent  seemed  nonplussed. 

"  I  wish  to  ask  four  rights  which  are  granted  to  me  by 
the  laws  of  thi3  state.     First,  the  right  to  belong  to  a  I 
union,  without  being  discharged  for  it." 

The  other  had  recovered  his  manner  of  quiet  mastery. 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  331 

"You  have  that  right,  sir;  you  have  always  had  it.  You 
know  perfectly  well  that  the  company  has  never  discharged 
any  one  for  belonging  to  a  union." 

The  man  was  looking  at  Hal,  and  there  was  a  duel  of 
the  eyes  between  them.  A  cold  anger  moved  Hal.  His 
ability  to  endure  this  sort  of  thing  was  at  an  end.  "  Mr. 
Oartwright,"  he  said,  "  you  are  the  servant  of  one  of  the 
world's  greatest  actors;  and  you  support  him  ably." 

The  other  flushed  and  drew  back;  Edward  put  in 
quickly :  "  Hal,  there's  nothing  to  be  gained  by  such 
talk!" 

"  He  has  all  the  world  for  an  audience,"  persisted  Hal. 
"  He  plays  the  most  stupendous  farce  —  and  he  and  all 
his  actors  wearing  such  solemn  faces !  " 

."  Mr.  Cartwright,"  said  Edward,  with  dignity,  "  I  trust 
you  understand  that  I  have  done  everything  I  can  to  re- 
strain my  brother." 

"  Of  course,  Mr.  Warner,"  replied  the  superintendent. 
"  And  you  must,  know  that  I,  for  my  part,  have  done 
everything  to  show  your  brother  consideration." 

"  Again !  "  exclaimed  Hal.  "  This  actor  is  a  gen- 
ius!" 

"  Hal,  if  you  have  business  with  Mr.  Cartwright  — ' 
.   "  He  showed  me  consideration  by  sending  his  gunmen 
to  seize  me  at  night,  drag  me  out  of  a  cabin,  and  nearly 
twist  the  arm  off  me !     Such  humour  never  was !  " 

Cartwright  attempted  to  speak  —  but  looking  at  Ed- 
ward, not  at  Hal.  "  At  that  time  - — ' 

"  He  showed  me  consideration  by  having  me  locked  up 
in  jail  and  fed  on  bread  and  water  for  two  nights  and  a 
day !  Can  you  beat  that  humour  ?  " 

"  At  that  time  I  did  not  know  — " 

"  By-  forging  my  name  to  a  letter  and  having  it  circu- 
lated in  the  camp  !  Finally  —  most  considerate  of  all  — 
by  telling  a  newspaper  man  that  I  had  seduced  a  girl 
here!" 


332  KING  COAL 

The  superintendent  flushed  still  redder.  "  No  I  "  he  de- 
clared. 

"  What?  "  cried  Hal.  "  You  didn't  tell  Billy  Keating 
of  the  Gazette  that  I  had  seduced  a  girl  in  North  Valley  ? 
You  didn- 1  describe  the  girl  to  him  —  a  red-haired  Irish 
girl ?  " 

"  I  merely  said,  Mr.  Warner,  that  I  had  heard  certain 
rumours  — ' 

"  Certain  rumours,    Mr.    Cartwright  ?      The   certainty 
was  all  of  your  making !     You  made  a  definite  and  explicit 
statement  to  Mr.  Keating  — "          ^ 
!   "I  did  not !  "  declared  the  other. 

"I'll  soon  prove  it !  "  And  Hal  started  towards  the 
telephone  on  Cartwright's  desk. 

"  What  are  you -going  to  do,  Hal  ?  " 

. "  I  am  going  to  get  Billy  Keating  on  the  wire,  and  let 
you  hear  his  statement." 

"  Oh,  rot,  Hal !  "  cried  Edward.  "  I  don't  care  any- 
thing about  Keating's  statement.  You  know  that  at  that 
time  Mr.  Cartwright  had  no  means  of  knowing  who  you 
were." 

Cartwright   was    quick   to   grasp    this    support.    -""Of 
^course  not,  Mr.  Warner!     Your  brother  came  here,  pre- 
tending to  be  a  working  boy — " 

"Oh!"  cried  Hal.  "So  that's  it!  You  think  it 
proper  -to  circulate'  slanders  about  working  boys,  in  your 

n    ,) 

camp  ( 

"You  have  been  here  long  enough  to  know  what  the 
morals  of  .such  boys  are." 

"I  have  been  here  long  enough,  Mr.  Cartwright,  to 
know  that  if  you  want  to  go  into  the  question  of  morals  in 
North  Valley,  the  place  for  you  to  begin  is  with  the  bosses 
and  guards  you  put  in  authority,  and  allow  to  prey  upon 
women." 

Edward  broke  in :     "  Hal,  there's  nothing  to  be  gained 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  333 

by  pursuing  this  conversation.     If  you  have  any  business 
here,  get  it  over  with,  for  God's  sake!  " 

Hal  made  an  effort  to  recover  his  self-possession.  He 
came  back  to  the  demands  of  the  strike  —  but  only  to  find 
that  he  had  used  up  the  superintendent' s  self-possession. 
"  I  have  given  you  my  answer/'  declared  Cartwright,  "  1. 
absolutely  decline  any  further  discussion."1 

"  Well,"  said  Hal,  "  since  you  decline  to  permit  a  'depu- 
tation of  your  men  to  deal  with  you  in  plain,  business-like 
fashion,  I  have  to  inform  you  as  an  individual  that  every' 
other  individual  in  your  camp  refuses  to  work  for  you." 

The  superintendent  did  not  let  himself  be  impressed  by 
this  elaborate  sarcasm.  "  AJ1  I  have  .to  tell  you,  sir, 'is 
that  Number  Two'  mine  will  resume  work  in  the  morning, 
and  that  any  one  who  refuses  to  work  will  be  sent  down 
the  canyon  before  night." 

""  So  quickly,  Mr.  Oartwpght  ?  They  have  rented  their 
homes  from  the  company,  and1  Vou  1th ow  that  according  to 
the  company's-  own  lease  they  are  entitled  to  three  days'; 
notice  before  being  evicted !  " 

Cartwright  was  so  unwise  as  to  argue.  He  knew  that 
Edward  was  hearing,  and.  he  wishecl  to  clear  himself. 
"They  will  not  be  evicted  by  the  company.  ,They  will 
be  dealt  with  by  the  town  authorities." 

"  Of  w^ich  you  yourself  are  the  head  ?  " 

"  I  happen  to  have  been  elected  mayor  of  North  Val- 
ley." 

"  As  mayor  of  North  Valley,  you  gave  my  brother  to  un- 
derstand that  you  would  put  me  out,  did  you  not?" 

"  I  asked  your  brother  to  persuade  you  to  leave." 

"  But  you  made  clear  that  if  he  could  not  do  this,  you 
would  put  me  out  ?  ". 

"  Yes,  that  is  true." 

"  And  the  reason  you  gave  was  that  you  had  had 
instructions  by  telegraph  from  Mr.  Peter  Harrigan.  May 


334:  KING  COAL 

-I  ask  to  what  office  Mr.  Ilarrigan  lias  been  elected  in  your- 
town  ?  " 

Cartwright  saw  his  difficulty.  "  Your  brother  misun- 
derstood me,"  he  said,  crossly. 

"  Did  you  misunderstand  him,  .Edward  ?  " 

Edward  had  walked  to  the  window  in  disgust;  he  was 
looking  at  tomato-cans  and  cinder-heaps,  and  did  not  see 
fit  tor  turn  around.  But  the  superintendent  knew  that  he 
was  hearing,  and  considered  it  necessary  to  cover  the  flaw, 
in  his  argument.  "  Young  man,"  said  he,  "  you  have  vio- 
lated several  of  the  ordinances  of  this  town.'' 

"  Is  there  an  ordinance  against  organising  a  union  of 
the  miners  ?  " 

"  No ;  but  there  is  one  against  speaking  on  the  streets." 

"  Who  passed  that  ordinance,  if  1  may  ask  ?  " 

"  The  town  council." 

"Consisting  of  Johnson,  postmaster  and  company-store 
clerk;  Ellison,  company  book-keeper;  Strauss,  company 
pit-boss ;  O'Callahan,  company  saloon-keeper.  Have  I  the 
list  correct  ?  " 

Cartwright  did  not  answer. 

"  And  the  fifth  member  of  the  town  council  is  yourself, 
ex-officio  —  Mr.  Enos  Cartwright,  mayor  and  company- 
superintendent:" 

Again  there  was  no  answer. 

"  You  have  an  ordinance  against  street-speaking ;  and 
at  the  same  time  your  company  owns  the  saloon-buildings, 
the  boarding-houses,  the  church  and  the  -school.  Where 
do  you  expect  the  citizens  to  do  their  speaking  ?  " 

"  You- would  make  a  good  lawyer,  young  man.  But  we 
who  have  charge  here  know  perfectly  well  what  you  mean 
by  '  speaking ' !  " 

"  You  don't  approve,  then,  of  the  citizens  holding  meet- 
ings ? " 

."  I  mean  that  we  don't  consider  dt  necessary  to  provide 
agitators  with  opportunity  to  incite  our  employes." 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  335 

May  I  ask.,  Mr.  Gartwright,  are  you  speaking  as  mayor 
[of  an  American  community,  or  as  superintendent  of  a  coal- 
tine  \  ',' 

Cartwright's  face  had  been  growing  continually  redder. 
[Addressing  Edward's  back,  he  said,  "  I  don't  see  any  rea- 
son why  this  should  continue." 

And  Edward  was  of  the  same  opinion.  He  turned. 
["Keally,  Hal-  '  / 

"  But,  Edward !  A  man  accuses  your  brother  of  being 
la  law-breaker !  Have  you  hitherto  known  of  any  criminal 
[tendencies  in  our  family  ?  " 

Edward  turned  to  the  window  again  and  resumed  his 
[study  of  the  cinder-heaps  and  tomato-cans.  It  was  a  vul- 
gar and  stupid  quarrel,  but  he  had  seen  enough  of  Hal's 
mood  to  realise  that  he  would  go  on  and  on,  so  long  as  any 
[one  was  indiscreet  enough  to  answer  him. 

You  say,  Mr.  Cartwright,  that  I  have  violated  the  or- 
dinance against  speaking  on  the  street.  May  I  ask  what 
penalty  this  ordinance  carries?  " 

'You  will  find  out  when  the  penalty  is  exacted  of  you.." 

Hal  laughed.  "  From  what  you  said  just  now,  I  gather 
that  the  penalty  is  expulsion  from  the  town!  If  I  under- 
stand legal  procedure,  I  should  have  been  brought  before 
the  justice  of  the  peace  —  W7ho  happens  to  be  another  com- 
pany store-clerk.  Instead  of  that,  I  am  sentenced  by  the 
mayor  —  or  is  it  the  company  superintendent  ?  May  I 
ask  how  that  comes  to  be?  "  . 

It  is  because  of  my  consideration  — " 

"  When  did  I  ask  consideration  ?  " 

"  Consideration  for  your  brother,  I  mean." 

"  Oh !     Then  your  ordinance  provides  that  the  mayor 
-  or  is  it  the  superintendent  ?  —  may  show  consideration 
the  brother  of  a  law-breaker,  by  changing  his  penalty 

expulsion  from  the  town.  Was  it  consideration  for 
Tommie  Burke  that  caused  you  to  have  his  sister  sent  down 
the  canyon  ? " 


336  KING  COAL 

Cart wright  clenched  his  hands.  "  I've  had  all  I'll 
stand1  of  this  !  " 

He  was  again  addressing  Edward's  back;  and  Edward 
turned  and  answered,  "  I  don't  blame  you,  sir."  Then, 
to  Hal,  "  I  really  think  you've  said  enough !  " 

"  I  hope  I've  said  enough,"  replied  Hal  — "  to  convince 
you  that  the  pretence  of  American  law  in  this  coal-camp 
is  a  silly  farce,  an  insult  and  a  humiliation  to  any  man  who 
respects  the  institutions  of  his  country." 

"  You,  Mr.  Warner,"  said  the  superintendent,  to  Ed- 
ward, "  have  had  experience  in  managing  coal-mines. 
You  know  what  it  means  to  deal  with  ignorant  foreigners, 
who  have  no  understanding  of  American  law  — " 

Hal  burst  out  laughing.  "  So  you're  teaching  them 
American  law !  You're  teaching  them  by  setting  at 
naught  every  law  of  your  town  and  state,  every  constitu- 
tional guarantee  • —  and  substituting  the  instructions  you 
get  by  telegraph  from  Peter  Harrigan !  " 

Cartwright  turned  and  walked  to  the  door.  "  Young 
man,"  said  he,  over  his  shoulder,  • "  it  will  be  necessary 
for  you  to  leave  North  Valley  this  morning.  I  only  hope 
your  brother  will  be  able  to  persuade  you  to  leave  without 
trouble."  And  the  bang  of  the  door  behind  him  was  the 
superintendent's  only  farewell. 


§  17.  Edward  turned  upon  his  brother.  "  Now  what 
the  devil  did  you  want  to  put  me  through  a  scene  like  that 
for?  So  undignified!  So  utterly  uncalled  for!  A 
quarrel  with  a  man  so  far  beneath  you !  " 

Hal  stood  where  the  superintendent  had  left  him.  He 
was  looking  at  his  brother's  angry  face.  "Was  that  all 
you 'got  out  of  it,  Edward?  " 

"All  that  stuff  about  your  private  character!  What 
do  you  care  what  a  fellow  like  Cartwright  thinks  about 
you?  " 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  337 

"  I  care  nothing  at  all  what  he  thinks,  but  I  care  about 
having  him  use  such  a  slander.  That's, one. of  their  regu- 
lar procedures,  so  Billy  Keating  says.'7 

Edward  answered,  coldly,  "  Take  my  advice,  and  realise 
that  when  you  deny  a  scandal,  you  only  give-  it  circula- 
tion." 

"  Of  course,"  answered  Hal.  "  That's  what  makes  me 
so  angry.  Think  of  the  girl,  the  harm  done  to  her  I  " 

"  It's  not  up  to  you  to  worry  about  the  girl." 

"Suppose  that  Cartwright  had  slandered 'some  woman 
friend  of  yours.  Would  you  have  felt  the  same  indiffer- 
ence ?  " 

"  He'd  not  have  slandered  any  friend  of  mine ;  I  choose 
my  friends  more  carefully." 

"  Yes,  of  course.  What  that  means  is  that  you  choose 
them  among  the  rich.  But  I  happen  to  be  more  demo- 
cratic in  my  tastes  — " 

"  Oh,  for  heaven's  sake!"  cried  Edward.  "You  re- 
formers are  all  alike  —  you  talk  and  talk  and  talk !  " 

"  I  can  tell  you  the  reason  for  that,  Edward  —  a  man 
like  you  can  shut  his  eyes,  but  he  can't  shut  his  ears !  " 

"  Well,  can't  you  let  up  on  me  for  awhile  —  long  enough 
to  get  out  of  this  place  ?  I  feel  as  if  I  were  sitting  on  the 
top  of  a  volcano,  and  I've  no  idea  when  it  may  break  out 
again." 

;Hal  began  to  laugh.  "  All  right,"  he  said ;  "  I  guess 
I  haven't  shown  much  appreciation  of  your  visit.  I'll  be 
more  sociable  now.  My  next  business  is  in  Pedro,  so 
I'll  go  that  far  with  you.  There's  one  thing  more — " 

"What  is  it?" 

"  The  company  owes  me  money  — " 

"What  money?" 

"  Some  I've  earned.'7 

It  was  Edward's  turn  to  laugh.  "  Enough  to  buy  you 
a  shave  and  a  bath  ?  " 

He  took  out  his  wallet,  and  pulled  off  several  bills ;  and 


338  KING  COAL 

Hal,  watching  him,  realised  suddenly  a  change  which  had 
taken  place  in  his  own  psychology.  Not  merely  had  he 
acquired  the  class-consciousness  of  the  working-man,  he 
had  acquired  the  money-consciousness  as  well.  He  was 
actually  concerned  about  the  dollars  the  company  owed 
him!  He  had  earned  those  dollars  by  back-  and  heart-,, 
breaking  toil,  lifting  lumps  of  coal  into  cars ;  the  sum  was 
enough  to  keep  the  whole  Kafferty  family  alive  for  a  week 
or  two.  And  here  was  Edward,  with  a  smooth  brown;; 
leather  wallet  full  of  ten-  and  twenty-dollar  bills,  which 
he  peeled  off  without  counting,  exactly  as  if  money  grew 
on  trees,  or  as  if  coal  came  out  of  the  earth  and  walked 
into  furnaces  to  the  sound  of  a  fiddle  and  a  flute ! 

Edward  had  of  course  no  idea  of  these  abnormal  proc^ 
esses  going  on  in  his  brother's  mind.  He  was  "holding  out 
the  bills.  "  Get  yourself  some  decent  things,"  he  said.* 
"  I  hope  you  don't  have  to  stay  dirty  in  order  to  feel 
democratic  ? " 

"  No/'  answered  Hal ;  and  then,  "  How  are  we  going  ?  " 

"  I've  a  car  waiting,  back  of  the  office." 

"  So  you  had  everything  ready !  "  But  Edward  made 
no  answer;  afraid  of  setting  off  the  volcano  again. 


§18.  They  went  out  by  the  rear  door  of  the  office,  en^ 
tered  the  car,  and  sped  out  of  the  village,  unseen  by  the 
crowd.  And  all  the  way  down  the  canyon  Edward  pleaded 
with  Hal  to  drop  the  controversy  and  come  home  at  once. 
He  brought  up  the  tragic  question  of  Dad  again;  when 
that  did  not  avail,  he  began  to  threaten.  Suppose  Hal's 
money-resources  were  to  be  cut  off,  suppose  he  were  to 
find  himself  left  out  of  his  father's  will  —  what  would  he 
do  then  ?  Hal  answered,  without  a  smile,  "  I  can  always 
get  a  job  as  organiser  for  the  United  Mine- Workers." 

So  Edward  gave  up  that  line  of  attack.     "  If  you  won't 


THE  WILL  OF  KI<KG  COAL  339 

come/'  he  declared,  "I'm  going  to  stay  by  you  till  you 
do!"' 

"  All  right,"  said  Hal.  He  could  not  help  smiling  at 
this  dire  threat.  "  But  if  1  take  you  about  and  introduce 
you  to  nfy  friends,  you  must  agree  that  what  you  hear  shall 
be  confidential." 

The  other  made  a  face  of  disgust.  "What  the  devil 
would  I  want  to  talk  about  your  friends  for  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  what  might  happen,"  said  Hal. 
"You're  going  to  meet  Peter  Harrigan  and  take  his  side, 
and  I  can't  tell  what  you  might  conceive  it  your  duty  to 
do." 

The  other  exclaimed,  with  sudden  passion,  "  I'll  tell  you 
right  now!  If  you  try  to  go  back  to  that  coal-camp,  I 
swear  to  God  I'll  apply  to  the  courts  and  have  you  shut  up 
in  a  sanitarium.  I  don't  think  I'd  have  much  trouble  in 
persuading  a  judge  that  you're  insane." 

"  No,"  said  Hal,  with  a  laugh — "not  a  judge  in  this 
part  of  the  world !  " 

Then,  after  studying  his  brother's  face  for  a  moment,  it 
Occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  well  not  to  let  such  an 
idea  rest  •unimpeached  in  Edward's  mind.  "  Wait," 
said  he,  "till  you  meet  my  friend  Billy  Keating,  of  the 
Gazette,  and  hear  what  he  would  do  with  such  a  story ! 
Billy  is  crazy  to  have  me  turn  him  loose  to  '  play  up '  my 
fight  with 'Old  Peter!"  •  The  conversation  went  no  far- 
ther—  but  Hal  was  sure  that  Edward  would  "  put  that  in 
his  pipe  and  smoke  it.'9' 

They  came  to  the  MacKellar  home  in  Pedro,  and  JCd- 
ward  waited  in  the  automobile  while  Hal  went  inside. 
The  old  Scotchman  welcomed  him  warmly,  and  told  him 
what  news  he  had.  Jerry1  Minetti  had  been  there  that 
morning,  and  MacKellar  at  his  request  had  telephoned  to 
the  office  of  the  union  in  Sheridan,  and  ascertained  that 
Jack  David  had  brought  word  about  the  strike  on  the  pre- 
vious evening.  All  parties  had  been  careful  not  to  men- 


•340  KING  GOAL  . 

tioii  names,  for  "  leaks  "  in  the  telephone  were  notorious, 
but  it  was  clear  who  the  messenger  had  been.  As  a  re- 
sult of  the  message,  Johann  Hartman,  president  of  the 
local  union  qf  the  miners,  was  now  at  the  American  Hotel 
in  Pe^dro,  together  with  James  Moy Ian,  secretary  <i>f  the  dis- 
trict organisation  —  the  latter  having  come  down  from 
Western  City  on  the  same  train  as  Edward. 

This  was  all  satisfactory ;  but  MacKellar  added  a  bit  of 
information  of  desperate, import ,- —  the  officers  of  the  union 
declared, ..that  they  could  not  support  a  strike  at  the  pres- 
ent time !  It  was  premature,  it  could  lead  to  nothing  but 
failure  and  discouragement  to  the  larger  movement  they 
were  planning. 

Such  a  possibility  Hal  had  himself  realised  at  the  out- 
seti  But  he  had  witnessed  the  new  birth  of  freedom  at 
,!North  Valley,  he  had,  seen  the  hungry,  toil-worn  faces  of 
men  looking  up  to  him  for  support ;  he  had  been  moved  by 
it,  and  .l}a,d  come  to  feel  that  the  union  officials  must  be 
moved  in  the  same  way.  "  They've"simply  got  to  back 
..it!  "., he  .  exclaimed.  "Those  men  must  not  be  disap- 
pointed! They'll  lose  all  hope,  they'll  sink  into  utter  de- 
spair! The  labour >men  must  realise  that  —  I  must  make 
them!" 

The  old  Scotchman  answered  that  Minetti  had  felt  the 
same  way.  He  had  flung  caution  to  the  winds,  and  rushed 
over  t.o  the  hotel  to  see  Hartman  and  Moylan.  Hal  de- 
cided to  follow,  and  went;  out  to  the  automobile. 

He  explained  matters  to  his  brother,  whose  comment 
was,  Of  course !  It  was  what  he  had  foretold.  The  *poor, 
mis-guided  miners  would  go  back  to  their  work,  and  their 
would-be  leader  would ,  have  to  admit  the  folly  of  his 
course.  There  was -a  train  for  Western  City  in  a  couple  of 
hours ;  it  would  be  a  great  favour  if  Hal  would  arrange  to 
take  it. , 

Hal  answered  shortly  that  he  was  going  to  the  American 
Hotel.  His  .brother  might .  take  him,  -  there,  if  he  chose. 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  341 

So  Edward  gave  the  order  to  the  driver  of  the  car.  Inci- 
dentally, Edward  began  asking  about  clothing-stores  in 
Pedro.  While  Hal  was  in  the  hotel,  pleading  for  the  life 
of  his  newly-born  labour  union,  Edward  would  seek  a  cos- 
tume in  which  he  could  "  feel  like  a  human  being." 


§  19.  Hal  found  Jerry  Minetti  with  the  two  officials  in 
their  hotel-room:  Jim  Moylan,  district  secretary,  a  long, 
towering  Irish  boy,  black-eyed  and  black-haired,  quick  and 
sensitive,  the  sort  of  person  one  trusted  and  liked  at  the 
first  moment;  and  Johann  Hartman,  local  president,  a 
grey-haired  miner  of  German  birth,  reserved  and  slow- 
spoken,  evidently  a  man  of  much  strength,  both  physical 
and  moral.  He  had  need  of  it,  any  one  could  realise,  hav- 
ing charge  of  a  union  headquarters  in  the  heart  of  this 
"  Empire  of  Raymond  "  ! 

Hal  first  told  of  the  kidnapping  of  the  committee.  This 
did  not  surprise  the  officials,  he  found ;  it  was  the  thing  the 
companies  regularly  did  when  there  was  threat  of  re- 
bellion in  the  camps.  That  was  why  efforts  to  organise 
openly  were  so  utterly  hopeless.  There  was  no  chance  for 
•anything  but  a  secret  propaganda,  maintained  until  every 
camp  had  the  nucleus  of  an  organisation. 

"  So  you  can't  back  this  strike !  "  exclaimed  Hal. 

Not  possibly,  was  Moylan's  reply.  It  would  be  lost  as 
soon  as  it  was  begun.  There  was  no  slightest  hope  of  suc- 
cess until  a  lot  of  organisation  work  had  been  done. 

"But  meantime,"  argued  Hal,  "the  union  at  North 
Valley  will  go  to  pieces !  " 

"  Perhaps,"  was  the  reply.  "  We'll  only  have  to  start 
another.  That's  what  the  labour  movement  is  like." 

Jim  Moylan  was  young,  and  saw  Hal's  mood.  "  Don't 
misunderstand  us !"  he  cried.  "It's  heartbreaking  — 
but  it's  not  in  our  power  to  help.  We  are  charged  with 

23 


342  KING  'COAL 

building  up  the  union,  and  we  know  that  if  we  supported 
everything  that  looked  like  a  strike,  we'd  be  bankrupt  the 
first  year.  You  can't  imagine  how  often  this  same  thing 
happens  —  hardly  a  month  we're  not  called  on  to  handle 
such  a  situation." 

"  I  can  see  what  you  mean/7  said  Hal.  "  But  I  thought 
that  in  this  case,  right  after  the  disaster,  with  the  men  so 
stirred  — " 

The  young  Irishman  smiled,  rather  sadly.  "  You're 
new  at  this  game,"  he  said.  "  If  a  mine-disaster  was 
enough  to  wiu  a  strike,  God  knows  our  job  would  be  easy. 
In  Earela,  just  down  the  canyon  from  you,  they've  had 
three  big  explosions  —  they've  killed  over  five  hundred 
men  in  the  past  year !  " 

Hal  began  to  see  how,  in  his  inexperience,  he  had  lost 
his  sense  of  proportion. 

He  looked  at  the  two  labour  leaders,  and  recalled  the 
picture  of  such  a  person  which  he  had  brought  with  him 
to  North  Valley  —  a  hot  headed  and  fiery  agitator,  luring 
honest  workingmen  from  their  jobs.  But  here  was  the 
situation  exactly  reversed !  Here  was  he  in  a  blaze  of  ex- 
citement —  and  two  labour  leaders  turning  the  fire-hose  on 
him!  They  sat  quiet  and  business-like,  pronouncing  a 
doom  upon  the  slaves  of  North  Valley.  Back  to  their 
black  dungeons  with  them ! 

"  What  can  we  tell  the  men  ?  "  he  asked,  making  an  ef- 
fort to  repress  his  chagrin. 

"  We  can  only  tell  them  what  I'm  telling  you  —  that 
we're  helpless,  till  we've  got  the  whole  district  organised. 
Meantime,  they  have  to  stand  the  gaff ;  they  must  do  what 
they  can  to  keep  an  organisation." 

"  But  all  the  active  men  will  be  fired !  " 

"  No,  not  quite  all  —  they  seldom  get  them  all." 

Here  the  stolid  old  German  put  in.  In  the  last  year 
the  company  had  turned  out  more  than  six  thousand  men 
because  of  union  activity  or  suspicion  of  it. 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  343 

/'  Six  thousand!  "  echoed  Hal.  "  You  mean  from  this 
one  district  ?  " 

"That's  what  I  mean." 

"  But  there  aren't  more  than  twelve  or  fifteen  thousand 
men  in  the  district !  " 

"  I  know  that." 

"  Then  how  can  you  ever  keep  an  organisation  ? " 

The  other  answered,  quietly,  "  They  treat  the  new  men 
the  same  as  they  treated  the  old." 

Hal  thought  suddenly  of  John  Edstrom's  ants !  Here 
they  were  —  building  their  bridge,  building  it  again  and 
again,  as  often  as  floods  might  destroy  it!  They  had  not 
the  swift  impatience  of  a  youth  of  the  leisure-class,  accus- 
tomed to  having  his  own  way,  accustomed  to  thinking  of 
freedom  and  decency  and  justice  as  necessities  of  life. 
Much  as  Hal  learned  from  the  conversation  of  these  men, 
he  learned  more  from  their  silences  —  the  quiet,  matter- 
of-fact  way  they  took  things  which  had  driven  him  beside 
himself  with  indignation.  He  began  to  realise  what  it 
would  mean  to  stand  by  his  *pledge  to  those  poor  devils  in 
North  Valley.  He  would  need  more  than  one  blaze  of  ex- 
citement; he  would  need  brains  and  patience  and  disci- 
pline, he  would  need  years  of  study  and  hard  work ! 


§  19.  Hal  found  himself  forced  to  accept  the  decision 
of  the  labour-leaders.  They  had  had  experience,  they 
could  judge  the  situation.  The  miners  would  have  to  go 
back  to  work,  and  Cartwright  and  Alec  Stone  and  Jeff 
Cotton  would  drive  them  as  before!  All  that  the  rebels 
could  do  was  to  try  to  keep  a  secret  organisation  in  the 
camp. 

Jerry  Minetti  mentioned  Jack  David.  He  had  gone 
back  this  morning,  without  having  seen  the  labour-leaders. 
So  he  might  escape  suspicion,  and  keep  his  job,  and  help 
with  the  union  work. 


344  KING  COAL 

"  How  about  you  ?  "  asked  Hal.  ' "  I  suppose  you've 
cooked  your  goose." 

Jerry  had  never  heard  .this  phrase,  but  he  got  its  mean- 
ing. "  Sure  thing!  "said  he.  ".Cooked  him  plenty!  " 

"  Didn't  you  see  the  '  dicks  '  down  stairs  in  the  lobby  ?  " 
inquired  Hartman. 

"  I  haven't  learned  to  recognise  them  yet." 

"  Well,  you  will,  if  you  stay  at  this  business.  There 
hasn't  been  a  minute  since  our  office  was  opened  that  we 
haven't  had  half  a  dozen  on  the  other  side  of  the  street. 
Every  man  that  comes  to  see  us  is  followed  back  to  his 
camp  and  fired  that  same  day.  They've  broken  into  my 
desk  at  night  and  stolen  my  letters  and  papers ;  they've 
threatened  us  with  death  a  hundred  times." 
.  "  I  don't  see  how  you  make  any  headway  at  all !  " 

"  They  can  never  stop  us.  They  thought  when  they 
broke  into  my  desk,  they'd  get  a  list  of  our  organisers. 
But  you  see,  I  carry  the  lists  in  my  head !  " 

"  No  small  task,  either,"  put  in  Moylan.  "  Would 
you  li}:e  to  know  how  many  organisers  we  have  at  work  ? 
Ninety-seven.  And  they  haven't  caught  a  single  one  of 
them!" 

Hal  heard  him,  amazed.  Here  was  a  new  aspect  of  the 
labour  movement !  This  quiet,  resolute  old  "  Dutchy," 
whom  you  might  have  taken  for  a  delicatessen-proprietor ; 
this  merry-eyed  Irish  boy,  whom  you  would  have  expected 
to  be  escorting  a  lady  to  a  firemen's  ball  —  they  were  cap- 
tains of  an  army  of  sappers  who  were  undermining  the 
towers  of  Peter  Harrigan's  fortress  of  greed ! 

Hartman  suggested  that  Jerry  might  take  a  chance  at 
this  sort  of  work.  He  would  surely  be  fired  from  North 
Valley,  so  he  might  as  well  send  word  to  his  family  to  come 
to  Pedro.  In  this  way  he  might  save  himself  to  work  as 
an  organiser ;  because  it  was  the  custom  of  these  company 
"spotters  "  to  follow  a  man  back  to  his  camp  and  there 
identify  him.  If  Jerry  took  a  train  for  Western  City,  they 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  345 

would  be  thrown  off  the  track,  and  he  might  get  into  some 
new  camp  and  do  organising  among  the  Italians.  Jerry 
accepted  this  proposition  with  alacrity;  it  would  put  off 
the  evil  day  when  Rosa  and  her  little  ones  would  be  left  to 
the  mercy  of  chance. 

They  were  still  talking  when  the  telephone  rang.  It 
was  Hartman's  secretary  in  Sheridan,  reporting  that  he 
had  just  heard  from  the  kidnapped  committee.  The  en- 
tire party,  eight  men  and  Mary  Burke,  had  been  taken  to 
Horton,  a  station  rfbt"  far  up  the  line,  and  put  on  the  train 
with  many  dire  threats.  But  they  had  left  the  train  at  the 
next  stop,  and  declared  their  intention  of  coining  to  Pedro. 
They  were  due  at  the  hotel  very  soon. 

Hal  desired  -  to  be  present  at  this  meeting,  and  'went 
downstairs  to  tell  his  brother.  There  was  another  dispute, 
of  course.  Edward  reminded  Hal  that  the  scenery  of 
Pedro  had  a  tendency  to  monotony;  to  which  Hal  could 
only  answer' by  offering  to  introduce  his  brother  to  his 
friends.  They  were  men  who  could  teach  Edward  much, 
if  he  would  consent  to  learn.  He  might  attend  the  session 
with  the  committee  — ;  eight  men  and  a  woman  who  had 
ventured  an  act  of  heroism  and  been  made  the  victims  of  a 
crime.  Nor  were  they  bores,  as  'Edward  might  be  think- 
ing! There  was  blue-eyed  Tim  Rafferty,  for  example, 
a  silent,  smutty-faced  gnome  who  had  broken  out  of  his 
black  cavern  and  spread  unexpected  golden  wings  of  ora- 
tory; and  Mary  Burke,  of  whom  Edward  might  read  in 
that  afternoon's  edition  of  the  Western  City  Gazette 
— •  a  "  Joan  of  Arc  of  the  coal-camps,77  or  something 
equally  picturesque.  But  Edward's  mood  was  n6t  to  be 
enlivened.  He  had  a  vision  of  his  brother's  appearance 
in  the  paper  as  the  companion  of  this  Hibernian  Joan  ! 

Hal  went  off  with  Jerry  Minetti  to  what  his  brother  de- 
scribed as  a  "  hash-house,7'  while  Edward  proceeded  in 
solitary  state  to  the  dining-room  of  the  American  Hotel. 
But  he  was  not  left  in  solitary  state  /  pretty  soon  a  sharp- 


346  KING  COAL 

faced  young  man  was  ushered  to  a  seat  beside  him,  arid 
started  up  a  conversation.  He  was  a  "  drummer/7  he 
said ;  his  "  line  "  was  hardware,  what  was  Edward?s  ?  Ed- 
ward answered  coldly  that  he  had  no  "  line,"  but,  the  young 
man  was  not  rebuffed  —  apparently  his  "line  "  had  hard- 
ened his  sensibilities.  Perhaps  Edward  was  interested  in 
coal-mines?  Had  he  been  visiting  the  camps?  He  ques- 
tioned so  persistently,  and  came  back  so  often  to  the  sub- 
ject, that  at  last  it  dawned  over  Edward  what  this  meant 
—  he  was  receiving  the  attention  *  of  a  .-"  spotter!" 
Strange  to  say,  the  circumstance  caused  Edward  more  irri- 
tation against  Peter  Harrigan's  regime  than  all  his 
brother's  eloquence  about  oppression  at  North  Valley. 


§  20.  Soon  after  dinner  the  kidnapped  committee  ar- 
rived, bedraggled  in  body  and  weary  in  soul.  They  in- 
quired for  Johami  Hartman,  and  were  sent  up  to  the 
room,  where  there  followed  a  painful  scene.  Eight  men 
and  a  woman  who  had  ventured  an  act  of  heroism  and  been 
made  the  victims  of  a  crime  could  not  easily  be  persuaded 
to  see  their  efforts  and  sacrifices  thrown  on  the  dump-heap, 
nor  were  they  timid  in  expressing  their  opinions  of  those 
who  were  betraying  them. 

"  You  been  tryin'  to  get  us  out !  "  cried  Tim  Rafferty. 
"  Ever  since  I  can  remember  you  been  at  niy  old  man  to 
help,  you  —  an'  here,  when  we  do  what  you  ask,  you  throw 
us  down !  " 

"  We  never  asked  you  to  go  on  strike/'  said  Moylan. 

"No,  that's  true.  You  only  asked  us  to  pay  dues,  so 
you  fellows  could  have  fat  salaries." 

"  Our  i  salaries  aren't  very  fat,"  replied  the  young 
leader,  patiently.  "  You'd  find  that  out  if  you  inviasti- 
gated." 

"  Well,  whatever  they  are,  they  go  on,  while  ours  stop. 
We're  on  the  streets,;  we're  done  for.  Look  at  us  —  and 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  347 

most  of  us  has  got  families,  too !  I  got  an  old  mother  an'  a 
lot  of  brothers  and  sisters,  an'  my  old  man  done  up  an' 
can't  work.  What  do  you  think's  to  become  of  us  ?  " 

"  We'll  help  you  out  a  little,  RaiTerty  — " 

"  To  hell  with  you !  "  cried  Tim.  "  I  don't  want  your 
help!  When  I  need  charity,  I'll  go  to  the  county. 
They're  another.,  bunch  of  grafters,  but  they  don't  pretend 
to  be  friends  to  the  workin'  man." 

Here  was  the  thing  Tom  Olson  had  told  Hal  at  the  out- 
set —  the  workingmen  bedevilled,  not  knowing  whom  to 
trust,  suspecting  the  very  people  who  most  desired  to  help 
them.  "  Tim,"  he  put  in,  "  there's  no  use  talking  like 
that.  We  have  to  learn  patience  — " 

And  the  boy  turned  upon  Hal.  "  What  do  you  know 
about  it?  It's  all  a  joke  to  you.  You  can  go  orT  and  for- 
get it  when  you  get  ready.  You've  got  money,  they  tell 
me !  " 

Hal  felt  no  resentment  at  this;  it  was  what  he  heard 
from  his  own  conscience.  "  It  isn't  so  easy  for  me  as  you 
think,  Tim.  There  are  other  ways  of  suffering  besides  not 
having  money  — " 

"  Much  sufYerin'  you'll  do  —  with  your  rich  folks!" 
sneered  Tim. 

There  was  a  murmur  of  protest  from  others  of  the  com- 
mittee. 

:  "  Good  God,  Rafferty !  "  broke  in  Moylan.     "  We  can't 
help  it,  man  —  we're  just  as  helpless  as  you !  " 

"  You  say  you're  helpless  —  but  you  don't  even  try !  " 

"  Try?  Do  you  want  us  to  back  a  strike  that  we  know 
hasn't  a  chance?  You  might  as  well  ask  us  to  lie  down 
and  let  a  load  of  coal  run  over  us.  We  can't  win,  man ! 
I  tell  you  we  can't  win!  We'd  only  be  throwing  away  our 
organisation !  " 

Moylan  became  suddenly  impassioned.  He  had  seen  a 
dozen  sporadic  strikes  in  this  district,  and  many  a  dozen 
young  strikers,  homeless,  desolate,  embittered,  turning 


348  KEtfG  COAL 

their  disappointment  on  him.  "  We  might  support  you 
with  our  fluids,  you  say — -we  might  go  on  doing  it,  even 
while  the  company  ran  the  mine  with  scabs.  But  where 
would  that  land  us,  Rafferty  ?  I  seen  many  a  union  on  the 
rocks  —  and  I  ain't  so^old  either !  If  we  had  a  bank,  we'd 
support  all  the  miners  of  the  country,  they'd  never  need  to 
work  again  till  they  got  their  rights.  But  this  money  we 
spend  is  the  money  that  other  miners  are  earnin' —  right 
now,  down  in  the  pits,  Rafferty,  the  same  as  you  and  your 
old  man.  They  give  us  this  money,  and  they  say,  i  Use  it 
to  build  up  the  union.  Use  it  to  help  the  men  that  aren't 
organised  - —  take  them  in,  so  they  "won't  beat  down  our 
wages  and  scab  on  us.  But  don't  waste  it,  for  God's  sake ; 
we  have  to  work  hard  to  make  it,  and  if  we  don't  see  re- 
sults, you'll  get  no  more  out  of  us.'  Don't  you  see  how 
that  is/ man?  And  how  it  weighs  on  us,  worse  even  then 
the  fear  that  maybe  we'll  lose  our  poor  salaries  —  though 
you  might  refuse  to  believe  anything  so  good  of  us  ?  You 
don't  need  to  talk  to  me  like  I  was  Peter  Harrigan'sfson. 
I  was  a  spragger  when  I  was  ten  years  old,  and  I  ain't  been 
out  of  the  pits  so  long  that  I've  forgot  the  feeling.  I 
assure  you,  the  thing  that  keeps  me  awake  at  night  ain't  the 
fear  of  not  gettin'  a  living,  for  I  give  myself  a  bit  of  edu- 
cation, working  nights,  and  I  know  I  could  always  turn  out 
and  earn  what  I  need;  but  it's  wondering  whether  I'm 
spending  the  miners'  money  the  best  way,  whether  maybe 
I  mightn't  save  them  a  little  misery  if  I  hadn't  V  done  this 
or  had  V  done  that.  When  I  come  down  on  that  sleeper 
last  night,  here's  what  I  was  thinking,  Tim  Rafferty  —  all 
the  time  I  listened  to  the  train  bumping  — '  Now  I  got  to 
see  some  more  of  the  suffering,  I  got  to  let  some  good  men 
turn  against  us,  because  they  can't  see  why  we  should  get 
salaries  while  they  get  the  sack.  How  am  I  going  to  §how 
them  that  I'm  working  for  them  —  working  as  hard  as  I 
know  how  —  and  that  I'm  not  to  blame  for  their 
trouble  ?'" 


THiT  WILL  OF  KING  Ct>AL  349 

Here  Wauchope  broke  in.  "  There's  no  use  talking  any 
more.  I  see  we're  up  against  it.  We'll  not  trouble  you, 
Moylan." 

"  You  trouble  me/7  cried  Moylan,  "  unless  you  stand  by 
the  movement !  " 

The  other  laughed  bitterly.     "  You'll  never  know  what 
I  do.     It's  the  road  for  rne  —  and  you  know  it !  " 
•    "  Well,  wherever  you  go,  it'll  be  the  same ;  either  you'll 
be  fighting  for  the  union,  or  you'll  be  a  weight  that  we  have 
to  carry." 

The  young  leader  turned  from  one  to  another  of  the 
committee,  pleading  with  them  not  to  be  embittered  by  this 
failure,  but  to  turn  it  to  their  profit,  going  on  with  the 
work  of  building  up  the  solidarity  of  the  miners.  Every 
man  had  to  make  his  sacrifices,  to  pay  his  part  of  the  price. 
The  thing  of  importance  was  that  every  man  who  was  dis- 
charged should  be  a  spark  of  unionism,  carrying  the  flame 
of  revolt  to  a  new  part  of  the  country.  Let  each  one  do  his 
part,  and  there  would  soon  be  no  place  to  which  the  masters 
could  send  for  "  scabs." 


§  21.  There  was  one  member  of  this  committee  whom 
Hal  watched  with  especial  anxiety  —  Mary  Burke.  She 
had  not  yet  said  a  word ;  while  the  others  argued  and  pro- 
tested, she  sat  with  her  lips  set  and  her  hands  clenched. 
Hal  knew  what  rage  this  failure  must  bring  to  her.  She 
had  risen  and  struggled  and  hoped,  and  the  result  was 
what  she  had  always  said  it  would-be  —  nothing!  Now 
he  saw  her,  with  eyes  large  and  dark  with  fatigue,  fixed  on 
this  fiery  young  labour-leader.  He  knew  that  a  war  must 
be  going  on  within  her.  Would  she  drop  out  entirely 
now  ?  It  was  the  test  of  her  character  —  as  it  was  the 
test  of  the  characters  of  all 'of  them. 

"  If  only  we're  strong  enough  and  brave  enough,"  Jim 
Moylan  was  saying,  "  we  can  use  our  defeats  to  educate 


350  KING  COAL 

our  people  and  bring  them  together.  Right  now,  if  we 
can  make. the  men  at  North  Valley  see  what  we're  doing, 
they  won't  go  back  beaten,  they  won't  be  bitter  against  the 
union,  they'll  only  go  back  to  wait.  And  ain't  that  a  way 
to  beat  the  bosses  —  to  hold  our  jobs,  and  keep  the  union 
alive,  till  we've  got  into  all  the  camps,  and  can  strike  and 
win?" 

There  was  a  pause;  then  Mary  spoke.  "  How're  you 
meanin'  to  tell  the  men  ?  "  Her  voice  was  without  emo- 
tion, but  nevertheless,  Hal's  heart  leaped.  Whether  Mary 
had  any  hope  or  not,  she  was  going  to  stay  in  line  with  the 
rest  of  the  ants! 

Johann  Hartman  explained  his  idea.  He  would  have 
circulars  printed  in  several  languages  and  distributed  se- 
cretly in  the  carnp,  ordering  the  men  back  to  work.  But 
Jerry  met  this  suggestion  with  a  prompt  no.  The  people 
would  not  believe  the  circulars,  they  would  suspect  the 
bosses  of  having  them  printed.  Hadn't  the  bosses  done 
worse  than  that,  "  framing  up  "  a  letter  from  Joe  Smith  to 
balk  the  check-weighman  movement  ?  The  only  thing  that 
would  help  would  be  for  some  of  the  committee  to  get  into 
the  camp  and  see  the  men  face  to  face. 

"  And  it  got  to  be  quick !  "  Jerry  insisted.  "  They 
get  notice  to  work  in  morning,  and  them  that  don't  be  fired. 
They  be  the  best  men,  too  —  men  we  want  to  save." 

Other  members  of  the  committee  spoke  up,  agreeing  with 
this.  Said  Eusick,  the  Slav,  slow-witted  and  slow-spoken, 
"  Them  fellers  get  mighty  damn  sore  if  they  lose  their  job 
and  don't  got  no  strike."  And  Zainmakis,  the  Greek,  quick 
and  nervous,  "  We  say  strike ;  we  got  to  say  no  strike." 

What  could  they  do  ?  There  was,  in  the  first  place,  the 
difficulty  of  getting  away  from  the  hotel,  which  was  being 
watched  by  the  "  spotters."  Hartman  suggested  that  if 
they  went  out  all  together  and  scattered,  the  detectives 
could  not  follow  all  of  them.  Those  who  escaped  might 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  351 

get  into  North  Valley  by  hiding  in  the  "  empties  "  which 
went  up  to  the  mine. 

But  Moylaii  pointed  out  that  the  company  would  be 
anticipating  this ;  and  Rusick,  who  had  once  been  a  hobo, 
put  in :  "  They  sure  search  them  cars.  They  give  us 
plenty  hell,  too,  when  they  catch  us." 

Yes,  it  would  be  a  dangerous  mission.  Mary  spoke 
again.  "  Maybe  a  lady  could  do  it  better." 

"  They'd  beat  a  lady,"  said  Minetti. 

"  I  know,  but  maybe  a  lady  might  fool  them.  There's 
some  widows  that  came  to  Pedro  for  the  funerals,  and 
they're  wearin'  veils  that  hide  their  faces.  I  might  pre- 
tend to  be  one  of  them  and  get  into  the  camp." 

The  men  looked  at  one  another.  There  was  an  idea ! 
The  scowl  which  had  stayed  upon  the  face  of  Tim  Raf- 
ferty  ever  since  his  quarrel  with  Moylan,  .gave  place 
suddenly  to  a  broad  grin. 

"  I  seen  Mrs.  Zamboni  on  the  street,"  said  he.  "  She 
had  on  black  veils  enough  to  hide  the  lot  of  'us." 

And  here  Hal  spoke,  for  the  first  time  since  Tim  Raf- 
ferty  had  silenced  him.  "  Does  anybody  know  where  to 
find  Mrs.  Zamboni  ?  " 

"  She  stay  with  my  friend,  Mrs.  Swajka,"  said  Rusick. 

"  Well," 'said  Halj  "  there's  something  you  people  don't 
know  about  this  situation.  After  they  had  fired  you,  I 
made  another  speech  to  the  men,  and  made  them  swear 
they'd  stay  on  strike.  So  now  I've  got  to  go  back  and  eat 
,  my  words.  If  we're  relying  on  veils  and  things,  a  man  can 
be  fixed  up  as  well  as  a  woman." 

They  were  staring  at  hirru  "  They'll  beat  you  to  death 
if  they  catch  you !  "  said  Wauchope. 

"No,"  said  Hal,  "I  don't  think  so.  Anyhow,  it's  up 
to  me  "—  he  glanced  at  Tim  Rafferty  — -"  because  I'm  the 
only  one  who  doesn't  have  to  suffer  for  the  failure  of  our 
strike." 


352  KING  COAT, 

4 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  I'm  sorry  I  said  that !  "  cried  Tim,  impulsively. 

'  Thajb's  all  right,  old  man,"  replied  Hal.  "  What  you 
said  is  true,  and  I'd  like  to  do  something  to  ease  my  con- 
science." He  rose  to  his  feet,  laughing.  "I'll  make  a 
peach  of  a  widow !  "  he  said.  "  I'm  going  up  and  have  a 
tea-party  with  my  friend  Jeff  Cotton !  " 


§  22.  Hal  proposed  going  ta  find  Mrs.  Zamboni  at  the 
place  where  she  was  staying;  but  Moylan  interposed,  ob- 
jecting that  the  detectives  would  surely  follow  him.  Even 
though  they  should  all  go  out  of  the  hotel  at  once,  the  one 
person  the  detective  would  surely  stick  to  was  the  arch- 
rebel  and  trouble-maker,  Joe  Smith.  Finally  they  de- 
cided to  bring  Mrs.  Zamboni  to  the  room.  Let  her  come 
with  Mrs.  Swajka  or  some  other  woman  who  spoke  Eng- 
lish, and  go  to  the  desk  and  ask  for  Mary  Burke,  ex- 
plaining that  Mary  had  borrowed  money  from  her,  and 
that  she  had  to  have  it  to  pay  the  undertaker  for  the  burial 
of  her  man.  The  hotel-clerk  might  not  know  who  Mary 
Burke  was;  but  the  watchful  "  spotters  "  would  gather 
about  and  listen,  and  if  it  was  mentioned  that  Mary  was 
from  North  Valley,  some  one  would  connect  her  with  "the 
kidnapped  committee. 

This  was  made  clear  to  Rusick,  who  hurried  off,  and  in 
the  course  of  half  an  hour  returned  with  the  announcement 
that  the  \vonien  were  on  the  way.  A  few  minutes  later 
came  a  tap  on  the  door,  and  there  stood  the  black-garbed 
old  widow  with  her  friend.  She  came  in ;  and  then  came 
looks  of  dismay  and  horrified  exclamations.  Rusick  was 
requesting  her  to  give  up  her  weeds  to  Joe  Smith ! 

"  She  say  she  don't  got  nothing  else,"  explained  the 
Slav. 

"  Tell  her  I  give  her  plenty  money  buy- more,"  said  Hal. 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  353 

"  Ai !  Jesu !  "  cried  Mrs.  Zamboni,  pouring  out  a  sput- 
tering torrent. 

"  She  say  slie  don't  got  nothing  to  put  on.  She  say  it 
ain't  good  to  go  no  clothes !  " 

"  Hasn't  she  got  on  a  petticoat? " 

"  She  say  petticoat  got  holes !  " 

There  was  a1  burst  of  laughter  from  the  company,  and 
the  old  woman  turned  scarlet  from  her  forehead  to  her 
ample  throat.  "  Tell  her  she  wrap  up  in  blankets,"  said 
Hal.  "  Mary  Burke  buy  her  new  things." 

It  proved  surprisingly  difficult  to  separate  Mrs.  Zamboni 
from  her  widow's  weeds,  which  she  had  purchased  with  so 
great  an  expenditure  of  time  and  tears.  Never  had  a  re- 
spectable lady  who'  had  borne  sixteen  children  received  such 
a  proposition;  to  sell  the  insignia  of  her  grief  —  and  here 
in  a  hotel  room,  crowded  with  a  dozen  men !  Nor' was  the 
task  made  easier  by  the  unseemly  merriment  of  the  men. 
"  Ai !  Jesu !  "  cried  Mrs.  Zamboni  again. 

"  Tell  her  it's  very,  very  important,"  said  Hal.  "  Tell 
her  I  must  have  them."  And  thenr  seeing  that  Rusick  was, 
making  poor  headway,  he  joined  in,  in  the  compromise- 
English  one  learns  in  the  camps.  "Got -to  have!  Sure 
thing!  Got  to  hide!  Quick!  Get  away  from  boss! 
See?  Get  killed  if  no  go !" 

So  at  last  the  frightened  old  woman  gave  way.  "  She 
say  all  turn  backs,"  said  Rusick.  And  everybody  turned, 
laughing  in  hilarious  whispers,  while,  with  Mary  Burke 
and  Mrs.  Swajka  for  a  shield,  Mrs.  Zamboni  got  out  of  her 
waist  and  skirt,  putting  a  blanket  round  her  red  shoulders 
for  modesty's  sake.  When  Hal  put  the  garments  on,  there 
was  a  foot  to  spare  all  round ;  but  after  they  had  stuffed  two 
bed  pillows  down  in  the  front  of  him,  and  drawn  them 
tight  at  the  waist-line,  the  disguise  was  judged  more  satis- 
factory. He  put  on  the  old  lady's  ample  if  ragged  shoes,, 
and  Mary  Burke  set  the  widow's  bonnet  on  his  head  and 
adjusted  the  many  veils ;  after  that  Mrs.  Zamboni's  own 


354  KING  COAL 

brood  of  children  would  not  have  suspected  the  disguise. 

It  was  a  merry  party  for  a  few  minutes;  worn  and: 
hopeless  as  Mary  had  seemed,  she  was  possessed  now  by  the 
spirit  of  fun.  But  then  quickly  the  laughter  died.  The 
time  for  action  had  come.  Mary  Burke  said  that  she 
would  stay  with  what  was  left  of  Mrs.  Zamboni,  to  answer 
the  door  in  case  any  of  the  hotel  people  or  the  detectives 
should  come.  Hal  asked  Jim  Hoy  Ian  to  see  Edward,  and 
say  that  Hal  was  writing  a  manifesto  to  the  North -Valley 
workers,  and  would  not  be  ready  to  leave  until  the  mid- 
night train. 

These  things  agreed  upon,  Hal  shook  hands  all  round, 
and  the  eleven  men  left  the  room  at  once,  going  down  stairs 
and  through  the  lobby,  scattering  in  every  direction  on  the 
streets.  Mrs.  Swajka  and  the  pseudo-Mrs.  Zamboni  fol- 
lowed a  minute  later  —  and,  as  they  anticipated,  found  the 
lobby  swept  clear  of  detectives. 


§  23.  Bidding  Mrs.  Swajka  farewell,  Hal  set  out  for 
the  railroad  station.  But  before  he  had  gone  a  block  from 
the  hotel,  he  ran  into. his  brother,  coming  straight  towards 
him. 

Edward's  face  wore  a  bored  look;  his  very  manner  of 
carrying  the  magazine  under  his  arm  said  that  he  had  se- 
lected, it  in  a  last  hopeless  effort  against  the  monotony  of 
Pedro.  Such  a  trick  of  fate,  to  take  a  man  of  important 
affairs,  and  immure  him  at  the  mercy  of  a  maniac  in  a  God- 
forsaken coal-town !  What  did  people  do  in  such  a  hole  ? 
Pay  a  nickel  to  look  at  moving  pictures  of  cow-boys  and 
counterfeiters  ? 

Edward's  aspect  was  too  much  for  Hal's  sense  of 
humour.  Besides,  he  had -a  good  excuse ;  was  it  not  proper 
to  make  a  test  of  his  disguise,  before  facing  the  real  danger 
in  North  Valley  ? 

He  placed  himself  in  the  path  of  his  brother's  progress, 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  355 

and  in  Mrs.  Zamboni's  high,  complaining  tones,  began, 
"  Mister!" 

Edward  stared  at  the  interrupting  black  figure.  "  Mis- 
ter, you  Joe  Smith's  brother,  hey  ?  " 

The  question  had  to  be  repeated  before  Edward  gave 
his  grudging  answer.  He  was  not  proud  of  the  relation- 
ship. 

"  Mister/'  continued  the  whining  voice,  "  my  old  man 
got  blow  up  in  mine.  I  get  five  pieces  from  my  man  what 
I  got  to  bury  yesterday  in  grave-yard.  I  got  to  pay  thirty 
dollar  for  bury  them  pieces  and  I  don't  got  no.  more  money 
left.  I  don't  got  no  money  from  them  company  fellers. 
They  come  lawyer  feller  and  he  say  maybe  I  get  money  for 
bury  my  man,  if  I  don't  jay  too  much.  But,  Mister,  I 
got  eleven  children  I  got  to  feed,  and  I  don't  got  no  more 
man,  and  I  don't  find  no  new  man  for  old  woman  like  me. 
When  I  go  home  I  hear  them  children  crying  and  I  don't 
got  no  food,  and  them  company-stores  don't  give  me  no 
food.  I  think  maybe  you  Joe  Smith's  brother  you  good 
man,  maybe  you  sorry  for  poor  widow- woman,  you  maybe 
give  m-e  some  money,  Mister,  so  I  buy  some  food  for  them 
children." 

"  All  right,"  said  Edward.  He  pulled  out  his  wallet 
and  extracted  a  bill,  which  happened  to  be  for  ten  dollars. 
His  manner  seemed  to  say,  "  For  heaven's  sake,  here!  " 

Mrs.  Zamboni  clutched  the  bill  with  greedy  fingers,  but 
was  not  appeased.  "  You  got  plenty  money,  Mister ! 
You  rich  man,  hey !  You  maybe  give  me  all  them  moneys, 
so  I  got  plenty  feed  them  children  ?  You  don't  know  them 
company-stores,  Mister,  them  prices  is  way  up  high  like 
mountain's;  them  children  is  hungry,  they  cry  all  day  and 
night,  and  one  piece 'money  don't  last  so  long.  You  give 
me  some  more  piece  moneys,  Mister  —  hey  ?  " 

"  I'll  give  you  one  more,"  said  Edward.  "  I  need  some 
for  myself."  He  pulled  off  another  bill. 

"  What  you  need  so  much,% Mister  ?     You  don't  got  so 


356  KING  COAL 

many  children,  hey  ?  And  you  got  plenty,  more  money 
home,  maybe !  " 

"  That's  all  I  can  give  you,"  said  the  man.  He  took  a 
step  to  one  side,  to  get  round  ,the  obstruction  in  his  path. 

But  the  obstruction  took  a  step  also  —  and  with  sur- 
prising agility.  "  Mister,  I  thank  you  for  them  moneys: 
I  tell  them  children  I  get  moneys  from  good  man.  I  like 
you,  Mister  Smith,  you  give  money  for  poor  widow-woman 
—  you  nice  man." 

And  the  dreadful  creature  actually  stuck  out  one  of  her 
paws,  as  if  expecting  to  pat  Edward  on  the  cheek,  or  to 
chuck  him  under  the  chin.  He  recoiled,  as  from  a  con- 
tagion ;  but  she  followed  him,  determined  to  do  something 
to  him,  he  could  not  be  sure  what.  He  had  heard  that 
these  foreigners  had  strange  customs ! 

"  It's  all  right!  It's  nothing!"  he  insisted,  and  fell 
back  —  at^the  same  time  glancing  nervously  about,  to  see 
if  there  were  spectators  of  this  scene. 

"  Nice  man,  Mister !  Nice  man !  "  cried  the  old  woman, 
with  increasing  cordiality.  "  Maybe  some  day  I. find  man 
like  you,  Mr.  Edward  Smith  —  so  I  don't  stay  widow- 
woman  no  more.  You  think  maybe  you  like  to  marry  nice 
Slavish  woman,  got  plenty  nice  children  ?  " 

Edward,  perceiving  that  the  matter  was  getting  desper- 
ate, sprang  to  one  side.  It  was  a  spring  which  should  have 
carried  him  to  safety ;  but  to  his  dismay  the  Slavish  widow 
sprang  also  —  her  claws  caught  him  under  the  arm-pit, 
and  fastening  in  his  ribs,  gave  him  a  ferocious  pinch. 
After  which  the  owner  of  the  claws  went  down  the  street, 
not  looking  back,  but  making  strange  gobbling  noises,  which 
might  have  been  the  weeping  of  a  bereaved  widow  in  Slav- 
ish, or  might  have  been  almost  anything  else. 


§  24.     The  train  up  to  North  Valley  left  very  soon,  and 
Hal  figured  that  there  would  be  just  time  to  accomplish  his 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  357 

errand  and  catch  the  last  train  back.  He  took  his  seat  in 
the  car  without  attracting  attention, ;  and  sat  in  his  place 
until  they  were  approaching  their  destination,  the  last  stop 
up  the  canyon.  There  were  several  of  the  miners'  women 
in  the  car,  and  Hal  picked  out  one  who  belonged  to  Mrs. 
Zamboni' s,  nationality,  and  moved  over  beside  her.  She 
made  place,  with  some  remark;  but  Hal  merely  sobbed 
softly,  and  the  woman  felt  for  his  hand  to  comfort  him. 
As  his  hands  were  clasped  together  under  the  veils,  she 
patted  him  reassuringly  on  the  knee. 

At  the  boundary  of  the  stockaded  village  the  train 
stopped,  and  Bud  Adams  came  through  the  car,  scrutinis- 
ing every  passenger.  Seeing  this,  Hal  began  to  sob  again, 
and  murmured  something  indistinct  to  his  companion  — 
which  caused  her  to  lean  towards  him,  speaking  volubly  in 
her  native  language.  "  Bud  "  passed  by. 

When  Hal  came  to  leave  the  train,,  he  took  his  com- 
panion's arm;  he  sobbed  some  more,  and  she  talked  some 
more,  and  so  they  went  down  the  platform,  under  the 
very  eyes  of  Pete  Hanun,  the  "  breaker  .of  teeth."  An- 
other woman  joined  them,  and  they  walked  clown  the 
street,  the  women  conversing  in  Slavish,  apparently  with- 
out a  suspicion  of  Hal. 

He  had  worked  out  his  plan  of  action.  He  would  not 
try  to  talk  with  the  men  secretly  —  it  would  take  too  long, 
and  he  might  be  betrayed  before  he  had  talked  with  a  suf- 
ficient number.'  One  bold  stroke  was  the  thing.  In  half 
aii  hour  it  would  be  supper-time,  and  the  feeders  would 
gather  in  Reminitsky's  dining-room.  He  would  give  his 
message  there  I 

Hal's  two  companions  were  puzzled  that  he  passed  the 
Zamboni  cabin,  where  presumably  the  Zamboni  brood  were 
being  cared  for  by  neighbours.  •  But  he  let  them  make 
what  they  could  of  this,  and  went  on  to  the  Minetti  home. 
To  the  astonished  Rosa  he  revealed  himself,  and  gave  her 
husband's  message  —  that  she  should  take  herself  and  the 

24  » 


358  KING  COAL 

children  down  to  Pedro,  and  wait  quietly  until  she  heard 
from  him.  She  hurried  out  and  brought  in  Jack  David,  to 
whom  Hal  explained  matters.  "  Big  Jack's  "  part  in  the 
recent  disturbance  had  apparently  not  been  suspected;  he 
and  his  wife,  with  Rovetta,  Wresmak,  and  Klowoski,  would 
remain  .as  a  nucleus  through  which  the  union  could  work 
upon  the  men. 

The  supper-hour  was  at  hand,  and  the  pseudo-Mrs. 
Zamboni  emerged  and  toddled  down  the  street.  As  she 
passed  into  the  dining-room  of  the  boarding-house,  men 
looked  at  her,  but  no  one  spoke.  It  was  the  stage  of  the 
meal  where  everybody  was  grabbing  and  devouring,  in  the 
effort  to  get  the  best  of  his  grabbing  and  devouring  neigh- 
bours. The  black-clad  figure  went  to  the  far  end  of  the 
room;  there  was  a  vacant  chair,  and  the  figure  pulled  it 
back  from  the  table  and  climbed  upon  it.  Then  a  shout 
rang  through  the  room :  "  Boys !  Boys !  "  • 

The  feeders  looked  up,  and  saw  the  widow's  weeds 
thrown  back,  and  their  leader,  Joe  Smith,  gazing  out  at 
them.  "-Boys I  I've  come  with  a  message  from  the 


union !  " 


There  was  a  yell;  men  leaped  to  their  feet,  chairs  were 
flung  back,  falling  with  a  crash  to  the  floor.  Then,  almost 
instantly,  came  silence;  you  could  have  heard  the  move- 
ment of  any  man's  jaws,  had  any  man  continued  to  move 
them. 

"  Boys !  I've  been  down  to  Pedro  and  seen  the  union 
people.  I  knew  the  bosses  wouldn't  let  me  come  back,  so 
I  dressed  up,  and  here  I  am !  " 

It  dawned  upon  them,  the  meaning  of  this  fantastic 
costume ;  there  were  cheers,  laughter,  yells  of  delight. 

But  Hal  stretched  out  his  hands,  and  silence  fell  again. 
"  Listen  to  me !  The  bosses  won't  let  me  talk  long,  and 
I've  something  important  to  say.  The  union  leaders  say 
we  can't  win  a  strike  now." 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  359 

1  Consternation  came  into  the  faces  before  him.  There 
were  cries  of  dismay.  He  went  on : 

"  We  are  only  one  camp,  and  the  bosses  would  turn  us 
out,  they'd  get  in  scabs  and  run  the  mines  without  us. 
What  we  must  have  is  a  strike  of  all  the  camps  at  once. 
One  big  union  and  one.  big  strike !  If  we  walked  out  now, 
it  would  please  the  bosses ;  but  we'll  fool  them  • —  we'll 
keep  our  jobs,  and  keep  our  union  too !  You  are  members 
of  the  union,  you'll  go  on  working  for  the  union !  Hooray 
for  the  North  Valley  union !  " 

For  a  moment  there  was  no  response.  It  was  hard  for 
men  to  cheer  over  such  a  prospect !  Hal  saw  that  he  must 
touch  a  different  chord. 

"  We  mustn't  be  cowards,  boys !  We've  got  to  keep  our 
nerve !  I'm  doing  my  part  —  it  took  nerve  to  get  in  here ! 
In  Mrs.  Zamboni's  clothes,  and  with  two  pillows  stufi'ed  in 
front  of  me !  " 

He  thumped  the  pillows,  and  there  was  a; burst  of  laugh- 
ter. Many  in  the  'Crowd  knew  Mrs.  Zamboni  —  it  was 
what  comedians  call  a  •"  local  gag."  The  laughter  spread, 
and  became  a  gale  of  merriment.  Men  began  to  cheer: 
"  Hurrah  for  Joe !  You're  the  girl !  Will  you  marry  me, 
Joe  ?  "  And  so,  of  course,  it  was  easy  for.  Hal  to  get  a  re- 
sponse when  he  shouted,  "  Hurrah  for  the  North  Valley 
union !  " 

Again  he  raised  his  hands  for  silence,  and  went  on 
again.  "Listen,  men.  They'll  turn  me  out,  and  you're 
not  going  to  resist  them.  You're  going  to  work  and  keep 
your  jobs,  and  get  ready  for  trie  big  strike.  And  you'll 
tell  the  other  men  what  I  say.  I  can't  talk  to  them  all,  but 
you  tell  them  about  the  union.  Remember,  there  are  peo- 
ple outside  planning  and  fighting  for  you.  We're  going 
to  stand  by  the  union,  all  of  us,  till  we've  brought  these 
coal-camps  back  into  America!  "*  There  was  a. cheer  that 
shook  the  walls  of  the  r6om.  Yes,  that  was  what  they 
wanted  —  to  live  in  America! 


360  KING  COAL 

A  crowd  of  men  Lad  gathered  in  the  doorway,  attracted 
by  the  uproar ;  Hal  noticed  confusion  and  pushing,  and  saw 
the  head  and  burly  shoulders  of  his  enemy,  Pete  Hanun, 
come  into  sight. 

"  Here  come  the  gunmen,  boys !  "  he  cried ;  and  there 
was  a  roar  of  anger  from  the  crowd.  Men  turned,  clench- 
ing their  fists,  glaring  at  the  guard.  But  Hal  rushed  on, 
quickly : 

"  Boys,  hear  what  I  say !  Keep  your  heads !  I  can't 
stay  in  ISTorth  Valley,  and  you  know  it!  But  I've  done 
the  thing  I  came  to  do,  I've  brought  you  the  message  from 
the  union.  And  you'll  tell  the  other  men- — tell  them  to 
stand  by  the  union !  " 

•  Hal  went  on,  repeating  his  message  over  and  over. 
Looking  from  one  to  another  of  these  toil-worn  faces,  he 
remembered  the  pledge  he  had  made  them,  and  he  made  it 
anew :  "  I'm  going  to  stand  by  you !  I'm  going  on  with 
the  fight,  boys! •"• 

There  came  more  disturbance  at  the  door,  and  suddenly 
Jeff  Cotton  appeared,  with  a  couple  of  additional  guards, 
shoving  their  way  into  the  room,  breathless  and  red  in  the 
face  from  running. 

"  Ah,  there's  the  marshal !  "  cried  Hal.  "  You  needn't 
pusk,  Cotton,  there's  not  going  to  be  any  trouble.  We  are 
union  men  here,  we  know  how  to  control  ourselves.  ISTow, 
boys,  we're  not  giving  up,  we're  not  beaten,  we're  only 
waiting  for  the  men  in  the  other  camps !  We  have  a  union, 
and  we  mean  to  keep  it !  Three  cheers  for  the  union  !  " 

The  cheers  rang  out  with  a  will:  cheers  for  the  union, 
cheers  for  Joe  Smith,  cheers  for  the  widow  and  her 
weeds ! 

a  You  belong  to  the  union !  You  stand  by  it,  no  matter 
what  happens!  If  they  fire  you,  you  take  it  on  to  the 
next  place!  You  teacH  it  to  the  new  men,  you  never  let  it 
die  in  your  hearts!  In  union  there  is  strength,  in  union 
there  is  hope !  Never  forget  it,  men  —  Union  !  '* 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  361 

f 

The  voice  of  the  cainp-marshal  rang  out.  "If  you're 
coming,  young  woman,  come  now !  " 

Hal  dropped  a  shy  curtsey.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Cotton!  This 
is  so  Sudden !  "  The  crowd  howled ;  a'nd  Hal  descended 
from  his  platform.  With  coquettish  gesturing  he  replaced 
the  widow's  veils  about  his  face,  and  tripped ;  mincingly 
across  the  dining-room.  When  he  reached  the  camp- 
marshal,  he  daintily  took  that  worthy's  arm,  and  with  'the 
"breaker  of  teeth"  on  the  other  side,  and  Bud  Adams 
bringing  up  the  rear,  he  toddled  out  of  the  dining-room, 
and  down  the  street. 

Hungry  men  gave  up  their  suppers  to  behold  that  sight. 
They  poured  out  of  the  building,  they  followed,  laughing, 
shouting,  jeering.  Others  came  from  every  direction  — 
by  the  time  the  party  had  reached  the  depot,  a  good  part 
of  the  population  of  the  village  was  on  hand;  and  every- 
where went  the  word,  "  It's,  Joe  Smith!  Come  back  with 
a  message  from  the  union!"  Big,  coal-grimed  miners 
laughed  till  the  tears  mdde  streaks1  on  their  faces  ;'they  fell 
on  one  another's  necks  for  delight  at  this  trick  which 'had 
been  played  upon  their  oppressors. 

Even  Jeff  -Cotton  could  not  withhold  his  tribute.  "  By 
God,  you're  the  limit!"  he  muttered.  He  accepted  the 
"  tea-party  "  aspect  of  the  affair,  as  the  easiest  way  to  get 
rid  of  his  recurrent  guest,  and  avert  the  possibilities  of 
danger.  He  escorted  the  widow  to  the  train  and  helped 
her  up  the  steps,  posting  escorts  at  the  doors  of  her  car; 
nor  did  the  attentions  of  these  gallants  cease  until  the  train 
had  moved  down  the  canyon  and  passed  the  limits  of  the 
North  Vallev  stockade! 


§  25.  Hal  took  off  his  widow's  weeds;  and  with  them 
he  shed  the  merriment  he  had  worn  for  the  benefit  of  the 
men.  There  came  a  sudden  reaction;  he  realised  that  he 

was  tired. 


362  KING  COAL 

For  ten  days  he  had  lived  in  a  whirl  of  excitement, 
scarcely  stopping  to  sleep.  Now  he  lay  back  in  the  car- 
seat,  pale,  exhausted ;  his  head  ached,  and  he  realised  that 
the  sum-total  of  his  North  Valley  experience  wafe  failure. 
There  was  left  in  him  no  trace  of  that  spirit  of  adventure 
with  which  he  had  set  out  upon  his  "  summer  course  in 
practical  sociology.'7  He  had  studied  his  lessons,  tried  to 
recite  them,  and  been  "  flunked."  He  •  smiled  a  bitter 
smile,  recollecting  the  careless  jesting  that  had  been  on  his 
lips  as  he  came  up  that  same  canyon.: 

"  He  keeps  them  a-roll,  that  merry  old  soul  — 

The  wheels  of  industreo ;. 
A-roll  and  a-roll,  for  his  pipe  and  his  bowl 
And  his  college  facultee!  " 

The  train  arrived  in  Pedro,  and  Hal  took  a  hack  at  the 
station  and  drove  to  the  hotel.  He  still  carried  the  widow's 
weeds  rolled  into  a  bundle.  He  might  have  left  them  in 
the  train,  but  the  impulse  to  economy  which  he  had  ac- 
quired during  the  last  ten  weeks  had  become  a  habit.  He 
would  return  them  to  Mrs.  Zamboni.  The  money  he  had 
promised,  her  might  better  be  used  to  feed  her  young  ones. 
The  two  pillows  he  would  leave  in  the  car ;  the  hotel  might 
endure  the  loss ! 

Entering  the  lobby,  the  first  person  Hal  saw  wras  his 
brother,  and  the  sight  of  that  patrician  face  made  human 
by  disgust  relieved  Hal's  headache  in  part.  Life  was 
harsh,  life  was  cruel;  but  here  was  weary,  waiting  Ed- 
ward, that  boon  of  comic  relief  I 

Edward  demanded  to  know  where  the  devil  he  had  been ; 
and  Hal  answered,  "  I've  been  visiting  the  widows  and 
orphans." 

"  Oh!  "  said  Edward.  "And  while  I  sit  in  this  hole 
and  stew !  What's  that  you've  got  under  your  arm  1  " 

Hal  looked  at  the  bundle.  "  It's  a  souvenir  of  one  of 
the  widows,"  he  said,  and  unrolled  the  garments  and  spread 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  363 

them  out  before  his  brother's  puzzled  eyes.  "  A  lady 
named  Mrs.  Swajka  gave  them  to  me.  They  belonged  to 
another  lady,  Mrs.  Zamboni,  but  she  doesn't  need  them  any 
more." 

"  What  have  you  got  to  do  with  them  ?  " 

"  It  seems  that  Mrs.  Zamboni  is  going  to  get  married 
again."  Hal  lowered  his  voice,,  confidentially.  "  It's  a 
romance,  Edward  —  it  may  interest  you  as  an  illustration 
of  the  manners  of  these  foreign  races.  She  met  a  man  on 
the  street,  a  fine,  fine  man,  she  says  —  and  he  gave  her  a 
lot  of  money.  So  she  went  and  bought  herself  some  new 
clothes,  and  she  wants  to  give  these  widow's  weeds  to  the 
new  man.  That's  the  custom  in  her  country,  it  seems  — 
her  sign  that  she  accepts  him  as  a  suitor." 

Seeing  the  look  of  wonderment  growing  on  his  brother's 
face,  Hal  had  to  stop  for  a  moment  to  keep  his  own  face 
straight.  "  If  that  man  wasn't  serious  in  his  intention, 
Edward,  he'll  have  trouble.,  for  I  know  Mrs.  Zamboni's 
emotional  nature.  She'll  follow  him  about  everywhere  — 

"  Hal,  that  creature  is  insane !  "  And  Edward  looked 
abput  him  nervously,  as  if  he  thought  the  Slavish  widow 
might  appear  suddenly  in  the  hotel  lobby  to  demonstrate 
her  emotional  nature. 

"  No,"  replied  Hal,  "  it's  just  one  of  those  differences  in 
national  customs."  And  suddenly  Hal's  face  gave  way. 
He  began  to  laugh ;  he  laughed,  perhaps  more  loudly  than 
good  form  permitted. 

Edward  Was  much  annoyed.  There  were  people  in  the 
lobby,  and  they  were  staring  at  him.  "  Cut  it  out,  Hal!  " 
he  exclaimed.  "  Your  fool  jokes  bore  me !  "  But  never- 
theless, Hal  could  see  uncertainty  in  his  brother's  face. 
Edward  recognised  those  widow's  weeds.  And  how  could 
he  be  sure  about  the  "  national  customs  "  of  that  grotesque 
creature  who  had  pinched  him  in  the  ribs  on  the  street  ? 

"  Cut  it  Out!  "  he  cried  again. 

Hal,  changing  his  voice  suddenly  to  the  Zamboni  key, 


364  KING  GOAL 

exclaimed :  "  Mister,  I  got  eight  children  I  got  to  feed, 
and  I  don't  got.no  more  man,  and  I  don't  iind  no  new  man 
for  old  woman  like  me !  " 

So  at  last  the  truth  in  its  full  enormity  began  to  dawn 
upon  Edward.  His  consternation  and  disgust  poured 
themselves  out;  and  Hal  listened,  his  laughter  dying. 
"  Edward/'  he  said,  "  you  don't  take  me  seriously  even 
yet!" 

"  Good  God !  "  cried  the  other.  "  I  believe  you're  really 
insane !  " 

rt  You  were  up  there,  Edward !  You  heard  what  I  said 
to  those  poor  devils !  And  you  actually  thought  I'd  go  off 
with  you  and  forget  about  them!  " 

Edward  ignored  this.  "  You're  *really  insane!  "  he  re- 
peated. "  You'll  get  yourself  killed,  in  spite  of  all  I  can 
do!" 

But  Hal  only  laiighed.  "  Not  a  chance  of  it !  You 
should  have  seen  the  tea-party  manners  of  the  camp- 
marshal  !  " 


§  26.  .  Edward  'would  have  endeavoured  to  carry  his 
brother  away  forthwith,  but  there  was  no  train  until  late, 
at  night ;  so  Hal  went  upstairs,  where  he  found  Moylan  and 
Hartman  with  Mary  Burke  and  Mrs.  Zamboni,  all  eager 
to  hear  his  story.  As  the  members  of  the  committee, 
who  had  been  out  to  supper,  came  straggling  in,  the  story 
was  told  again,  and  yet  again.  They  were  almost  as  much 
delighted  as  the  men  in  Reminitsky's.  If  only  all  strikes 
that  had  to  be  called  off  could  be  called  off  as  neatly  as 
that ! 

Between  these  outbursts  of  satisfaction,  they  discussed 
their  future.  Moylan  was  going  back  to  Western  City, 
Hartman  to  his  office  in  Sheridan,  from  which  he  would 
arrange  to  send  new  organisers  into  North  Valley.  No 
doubt  Cartwright  would  turn  off  many  men  —  those  who 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  365 

liad  made  themselves  conspicuous  during  the  strike,  those 
who  continued  to  talk  union  out  loud.  But  such  men 
would  have  to  be  replaced,  and  the  union  knew  through 
what  agencies  the  company  got  its  hands.  The  North 
Valley  miners  would  find  themselves  mysteriously  provided 
with  union  literature  in  their  various  languages ;  it  would 
be  slipped  under  their  pillows,  or  into  their  dinner-pails,  or 
the  pockets  of  their  coats  while  they  were  at  work. 

Also  there  was  propaganda  to  be  carried  on  among  those 
who  were  turned  away ;  so  that,  wherever  they  went,  they 
would  take  the  message  of  unionism.  There  had  been  a 
sympathetic  outburst  in  Barela,  Hal  learned  —  starting 
quite  spontaneously  that  morning,  when  the  men  heard 
what  had  happened  at  North  Valley.  A  score  of  workers 
had  been  fired,  and  more  would  probably  follow  in  the 
morning.  Here  was  a  *job  for  the  members  of  the  kid- 
napped committee ;  Tim  Rafferty,  for  example  —  would  he 
care  to  stay  in  Pedro  for  a  week  or  two,  to  meet  such  men, 
and  give  them  literature  and  arguments  ? 
.  This  offer  was  welcome;  for  life  looked  desolate  to 
the  Irish  boy  at.  this  moment.  He  was  out  of  a  job,  his 
father  was  a  wreck,  his  family  destitute  and  helpless. 
They  would  have  to  leave  their  home,  of  course;  there 
would  be  no  place  for  any Rail'erty  in  North  Valley. 
Where  they  would  go,  God  only  knew ;  Tim  would  become 
a  wanderer,  living  away  from  his  people,  starving  himself 
and  sending  home  his  pitiful  savings. 

Hal  was  watching  the  boy,  and  reading  these  thoughts. 
He,  Hal  Warner,  would  play  the  god  out  of  a  machine  in 
this  case,  and  in  several  others  equally  pitiful.  He  had 
the  right  to  sign  his  father's  name  to  checks,  a  privilege 
which  he  believed  he  could  retain,  even  while  under- 
taking the  role  of  Haroun  al  Raschid  in  a  mine-disaster. 
But  what  about  the  mine-disasters  and  abortive  strikes 
where  there  did  not  happen  to  be  any  Haroun  al  Raschid 
at  hand  ?  What  about  those  people,  right  in  North  Valley, 


366  KING  COAL 

who  did  not  happen  to  have  told  Hal  of  their  affairs  ?  He 
perceived  that  it  was  only  by  turning  his  back  and  running 
that  he  would  escape  from  his  .adventure  with  any  portion 
of  his  self-possession.  Truly,  this  fair-seeming  and  won- 
derful civilisation  was  like  the  floor  of  a  charnel-house  or  a 
field  of  battle ;  anywhere  one  drove  a  spade  beneath  its  sur- 
face!, he  uncovered  horrors,  sights  for  the  eyes  and  stenches 
for  the  nostrils  that  caused  him  to  turn  sick ! 

There  was  Rusick,  for  example ;  he  had  a  wife  and  two 
children;  and  not  a  dollar  in  the  world.  In  the  year  and 
more  that  he  had  worked,  faithfully  and  persistently,  to  get 
out  coal  for  Peter  Harrigan,  he  had  never  once  been  able 
to  get  ahead  of  his  bill  for  the  necessities  of  life  at  Old 
Peter's  store.  All  his  belongings  in  the  world  could  be 
carried  in  a  bundle  on  his  back,  and  whether  he  ever  saw 
these  again  would  depend  upon  the  whim  of  old  Peter's 
camp-marshal  and  guards. .  Rusick  would  take  to  the  road, 
with  a  ticket  purchased  by  the  union.  Perhaps  he  would 
find  a  job  and  perhaps  not ;  in  any  case,  the  best  he  could 
hope  for  in  life  was  to  work  for  some  other  Harrigari,  and 
run  into  debt  at  some  other  company-store. 

There  was  Hobianish,  a  Serbian,  and  Hernandez,  a 
Mexican,  of  whom  the  same  things  were  true,  except  that 
one  had  four  children  and  the  other  six.  Bill  Wauchope 
had  only  a  wife  —  their  babies  had  died,  thank  heaven,  he 
said.  He  did  not  seem  to  have  been  much  moved  by  Jim 
Moylan's  pleadings ;  he  was  down  and  out ;  he  would  take 
to  the  road,  and  beat  his  way  to  the  East  and  back  to 
England.  They  called  this  a  free  country!  By  God,  if 
he  were  to  tell  wnat  had  happened  to  him,  he  could  not  get 
an  English  miner  to  believe  it ! 

Hal  gave  these  men  his  real  name  and  address,  and  made 
them  promise  to  let  him  know  how  they  got  along.  He 
would  help  a  little,  he  said;  in  his  mind  he  was  figuring 
how  much  he  ought  to  do.  How  far  shall  a' man  go  in  re- 
lieving the  starvation  about  him,  before  he  can  enjoy  his 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  367 

meals  in  a  well-appointed  club  ?.  What  casuist  will  work 
out  this  problem  —  telling  him  the  percentage  he  shall  re- 
lieve of  the  starvation  he  happens  personally  to  know  about, 
the  percentage  of  that  which  he  sees  on  the  streets,  the  per- 
centage of  that  about  which  he  reads  in  government  reports 
on  the  rise  in  the  cost  of  living,  to  what  extent  is  he  per- 
mitted to  close,  his  eyes,  as  he  walks  along  the  streets  on 
his  way  to  the  club  ?  To  what  extent  is  he  permitted  to 
avoid  reading  government  reports  before  going  out  to 
dinner-dances  with  his  fiancee?  Problems  such  as  these 
the  masters  of  the  higher  mathematics  have  neglected  to 
solve ;  the  wise  men  of  the  academies  and  the.  holy  men  of 
the  churches  have  likewise  failed  to  work  out  the  formulas ; 
and  Hal,  trying  to  obtain  them  by  his  crude  mental  arith- 
metic, found  no  satisfaction  in  the  results. 


§  27.  Hal  wante.d  a  chance., to  talk  to  Mary  Burke ;  they 
had  had  no  intimate  talk  since  the  meeting  with  Jessie 
Arthur,  and  now  he  was  going  away,  for  a  long  time.  He 
wanted  to  find  out  what  plans  Mary  had  for  the  future,  and 
— :  more  important  yet  —  what  was  her  state  of  mind.  If 
he  had  been  able  to  lift  this  girl  from  despair,  his  summer 
course  in  practical  sociology  had  not  been  all  a  failure ! 

He  asked  her  to  go  with  him  to  say  good-bye  to  John 
Edstrom,  wrhom  he  had  not  seen  since  their  unceremonious 
parting  at  MacKellar's,  when  Hal  had  fled  to  Percy  Harri- 
gan's  train.  Downstairs  in  the  lobby  Hal  explained  his 
errand  to, his  waiting  brother,  who  made  no  comment,  but 
merely  remarked  that  he  would  follow,  if  Hal  had  no  ob- 
jection. He  did  not  care  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Hibernian  Joan  of  Arc,  and,  would  not  come  close  enough 
to  interfere  with  Hal's  conversation  with  the  lady ;  but  he 
wished  to  do  what  he  could  for  his  'brother's  protection. 
So  there  set  out  a  moon-light  procession  —  first  Hal  and 


368  KING  COAL 

Mary,  then  Edward,  and  then  Edward's  dinner-table  com- 
panion, the  "  hardware-drummer !  " 

Hal  was  embarrassed  in  beginning  his  farewell  talk  with 
Mary.  He  had  no  idea  how  she  felt  towards  him,  and  he 
admitted  with  a  guilty  pang  that  he  was  a  little  afraid  to 
find  out !  He  thought  it  best  to  be  cheerful,  so  he  started 
to  tell  her  how  fine  he  thought  her  conduct  during  the 
strike.  But  she  did  not  respond  to  his  remarks,  and  at 
last  he  realised  that  she  was  labouring  with  some  thoughts 
of  her  own. 

"  There's  somethin'  I  got  to  say  to  ye !  "  she  began,  sud- 
denly. "  A  couple  of  days  ago  I  knew  how  I  meant  to  say 
it,  but  now  I  don't." 

"  Well,"  he  laughed,  "  say  its  as  you  meant  to." 

"  No ;  'twas  bitter  —  and  now  I'm  on  my  knees  before 

ye." 

"  Not  that  I  want  you  to  be  bitter,"  said  Hal,  still  laugh- 
ing, "  but  it's  I  that  ought  to  be  on  my  knees  before  you. 
I  didn't  accomplish  anything,  you  know." 

"  Ye  did  all  ye  could  —  and  more  than  the  rest  of  us. 
I  want  ye  to  know  I'll  never  forget  it.  But  I  want  ye  to 
hear  the  other  thing,  too!  " 

She  walked  on,  staring  before  her,  doubling  up  her  hands 
in  agitation.  "  Well  ? "  said  he,  still  trying  to  keep  a 
cheerful  tone. 

"  Ye  remember  that  day  just  after  the  explosion  ?  Ye 
remember  what  :I  said  about  —  about  goin'  away  with 
ye  ?  I  take  it  back." 

"  Oh,  of  course !  "  said  he,  quickly.  "  You  were  dis- 
tracted, Mary  —  you  didn't  know  what  you  were  saying." 

"  No,  no !  That's  not  it !  But  I've  changed  my  mind ; 
I.  don't  mean  to  throw  meself  away." 

"  I  told  you  you'd  see  it  that  way,"  he  said.  "  No  man 
is  worth  it." 

"  Ah,  lad !  "  said  she.     "  'Tis  the  fine  soothin'  tongue  ye 


THE  WILL  OF  KIXG  COAL  369 

have  —  but  I'd  rather  ye  knew  the  truth.  "I is  that  I've 
seen  the  other  girl ;  and  I  hate  her !  " 

They  walked  for  a  bit  in  silence.  Hal  had  sense 
enough  to  realise  that  here  was  a  difficult  subject.  "  I 
don't  want  to  be  a  prig,  Mary/'  he  said  gently ;  "  but  you'll 
change  your  mind  about  that,  too.  .You'll  not  hate  her; 
you'll  be  sorry  for  her." 

She  laughed  —  a  raw,  harsh  laugh.  "  What  kind  of  a 
joke  is  that  ?  " 

"  I  know  —  it  may  seem  like  one.  But  it'll  come  to  you 
some  day.  You  have  a  wonderful  thing  to  live  and  fight 
for;  while  she  "-^-  he  hesitated  a  moment,  for  he  was  not 
sure  of  his  own  ideas  on  this  subject  — "  she  has  so  many 
things  to  learn;  and  she  may  never  learn  them.  She'll 
miss  some  fine  things." 

"  I  know  one  of  the  fine  things  she  does  not  mean  to 
miss,"  said  Mary,  grimly;  "  that's  Mr.  Hal  Warner." 
Then,  after  they  had  walked  again  in  silence :  "  I  want  ye 
to  understand  me,  Mr.  Warner  — 

"  Ah,  Mary !  "  he  pleaded.  "  Don't  treat  me  that  way ! 
I'm  Joe."- 

"  All  right,"  she  said,  "  Joe  ye  shall  be.  'Twill  remind 
ye  of  a  pretty  adventure  —  bein'  a  workin'  man  for  a  few 
weeks.  Well,  that's  a  part  of  what  I  have  to  tell  ye.  I've 
got  my  pride,  even  if  I'm  only  a  poor  miner's  daughter; 
and  the  other  day  I  found  out  oae  place." 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Ye  don't  understand  ?     Honest  ?  " 

"  No,  honest,"  he  said". 

"  Ye' re  stupid  with  women,  Joe.  Ye  didn't  see  what 
the  girl  did  to  me !  'Twas  some  kind  of  a  bug  I  was  to  her. 
She  was  not  sure  if  I  was  the  kind  that  bites,  but  she  took 
no  chances  — she  threw  me  off,  like  that."  And  Mary 
snapped  her  hand,  as  one  does  when  troubled  with  a  bug. 

"  Ah,  now!  "  pleaded  Hal.     "  You're  not  being  fair !  " 


370  KING  COAL 

"I'm  bein'  just  as  fair  as  I've  got  it  in-  me  to  be,  »loe. 
I  been  off  and  had  it  all  out.  I  can  see  this  much  —  'tis 
not  hei*  fault,  maybe — L'tis  her- class;*  'tis  all  of  ye —  the 
very  best  of  ye,  even  yeself,  Joe  Smith !  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  Tim  Bafferty  said  that." 

"  Tim  said  too  much  —  but  a  part  of  it  was  true.  Ye 
think  ye've  come  here  and  been  one  of  us  workiii'  people. 
But  don't  your  own  sense  tell  you  the  difference,  as  ii  it 
was  a  canyon  a  million  miles  across  —  between  a  poor  igno- 
rant creature  in  a  minin'  camp,  and  a  rich  man's  daugh- 
ter, a  lady?  iTe'd  tell  me  not  to-be  ashamed  of  poverty; 
but  would  ye  ever  put  me  by  the  side  of  her  —  for  all  your  ; 
fine  f eelin's  of  friendship  for  them  that's  beneath  ye  ? 
Didn't  ye  show  that  at  the  Minettis'  ?  " 

"  But  don't  you  see,  Mary  — "  He  made  an  effort  to 
laugh.  "  I  got  used  to  obeying  Jessie !  I  knew  her  a  long 
time  before  I  knew  you." 

.".Ah,  Joe!  Ye've  a  kind  heart,  and  a  pleasant  way  of 
speakin'.  But  wouldn't  it  interest  ye  to  know  the  real 
truth  ?  Ye  said  ye'd  'Come  out  here  to  learn  the  truth !  " 

And  Hal  answered,  in  a  low  voice,  "  Yes,"  and  did  not 
interrupt  again. 


§  28.  Mary's  voice  had  dropped  low,  and  Hal  thought 
how  rich  and  warm  it  was^  when  she  was  deeply  moved. 
She  went^  on : 

"  I  lived  all  me  life  in  minin'  camps,  Joe  Smith,  and  I 
seen  men  robbed  and  beaten,  and  women  cryin'  and^childer 
hungry.  I  seen  the  companyylike  some  great  wicked  beast 
that  eat  them  up.  ,  But  I  never  knew  why,  or  what  it 
meant  —  till  that  day,  there  at  the  Minettis'.  I'd  read 
about  fine  ladies  in  books,  ye  see;  but  I'd  never  been  spoke 
to  by  one,  I'd  never  had  to  swallow  one,  as  ye  might  say. 
But  there  I  did  —  and  all  at  .once  I  seemed  to  know  where 
the  money  goes  that's  wrung  out  of  the  miners.  I  saw  why 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  371 

people  were  robbin'  us,  grindin'  the  life  out  of  us  — for 
tine  ladies  like  that,  to  keep  them  so  shiniii'  and  soft! 
'Twould  not  have  been  so  bad,  if  she'd  not  come  just  then, 
with  all  the  men  and  boys  dyin.'  down  in  the  pits  —  dyin' 
for  that  soft,  white  skin,  and  those  soft,  white  hands,  and 
all  those  silky  things  she  swished  round  in.  My  God,  Joe 
—  d'ye  know  what  she  seemed  to  me  like  I  Like  a  smooth, 
sleek  cat  that  has  just  eat  up  a  whole  nest  full  of  baby  mice, 
and  has  the  blood  of  them  all  over  her  cheeks !  " 

]\f  ary  paused,  breathing  hard.  Hal  kept  silence,  and 
she  went  on  again:  "  I  had  it  out  with  meself,  Joe!  I 
don't  want  ye  to  think  I'm  any  better  than  I  am,  and  I 
asked  meself  this  question  —  Is  it  for  the  men  in  the  pits 
that  ye  hate  her  with  such  black  murder  ?  Or  is  it  for  the 
one  man  ye  want,  and  that  she's  got  ?  And  I  knew  the  an- 
swer to  that !  But  then  I  asked  meself  another  question, 
too  —  Would  ye  be  like  her  if  ye  could  ?  Would  ye  do 
what  she's  doin'  right  now  —  would  ye  have  it  on  your 
soul  ?  And  as  God  hears  me,  Joe,  'tis  the  truth  I  speak  — 
I'd  not  -do  it !  No,  not  for  the  love  of  any  man  that  ever 
walked  on  this  earth !  " 

She  had  lifted  her  clenched  fist  as  she  spoke.  She  let 
it  fall  again,  and  strode  on,  not  even  glancing  at  him. 
"  Ye  might  try  a  thousand  years,  Joe,  and  ye'd  not  realise 
the  feelin's  that  come  to  me  there  at  the  Minettis'.  The 
shame  of  it  —  not  wThat  she  done  to  me,  but  what  she  made 
me  in  me  own  eyes !  Me,  the  daughter  of  a  drunken  old 
miner,  and  her — I  don't  know  what  her  father  is,  but 
she's  some  sort  of  princess,  and  she  knows  it.  And  that's 
the  thing  that  counts,  Joe !  'Tis  not  that  she  has  so  much 
money,  and  so  many  fine  things;  that  she  knows  how  to 
talk,  and  I  don't,  and  that  her  voice  is  sweet,  and  mine  is 
ugly,  when  I'm  ragin'  as  I  am  now.  No  — 'tis  that  she's 
so  sure!  That's  the  word  I  found  to  say  it ;  she's  sure  — 
sure  —  sure!  She  has  the  fine  things,  she's  always  had* 
them,  she  has  a  right  to  have  them !  And  I  have  a  right 


372  KING,  COAL 

to  nothin'  but  trouble,  I'm  hunted  all  day  by  misery  and 
fear,  I've  lost  even  the  roof  over  me  head !  Joe,  ye  know 
I've  got  some  temper  —  I'm  not  easy  to  beat  down ;  but 
when  I'd  got  through  bein'  taught  me  place,  I  went  off  and 
hid  meself,  I  ground  me  face  in  the  dirt,  for  the  black  rage 
of  it!  I  said  to  meself,  'Tis  true!  There's  somethin'  in 
her  better  than  me!  She's  some  kind  of  finer  creature. 
—  Look  at  these  hands !  "  She  held  them  out  in  the 
moonlight,  with  a  swift,  passionate  gesture.  "  So  she's  a 
right  to  her  man,  and  I'm  a  fool  to  have  ever  raised  me 
eyes  to  him !  I  have  to  see  him  go  away,  and  crawl  back 
into  me  leaky  old  shack!  Yes,  that's  the  truth!  And 
when  I  point  it  out  to  the  man,  what  d'ye  think  he  says  ? 
Why,  he  tells  me  gently  and  kindly  that  I  ought  to.be 
sorry  for  her !  Christ !  did  ye  ever  hear  the  like  of  that  ?  " 

There  was  a  long  silence.  Hal  could  not  have  said  any- 
thing now,  if  he  had  wished  to.  He  knew  that  this  was 
what  he  had  come  to  seek !  This  was  the  naked  soul  of  the 
class-war ! 

"  JSTow,"  concluded  Mary,  with  clenched  hands,  and  a 
voice  that  corresponded,  "  now,  I've  had  it  out.  I'm  no 
slave;  I've  just  as  good  a  right  to  life  as  any  lady.  I 
know  I'll  never  have  it,  of  course;  I'll  never  wear  good 
clothes,  nor  live  in  a  decent  home,  nor  have  the  man  I 
want ;  but  I'll  know  that  I've  done  somethin'  to  help  free 
the  workin'  people  from  the  shame  that's  put  on  them. 
That's  what  the  strike  done  for  me,  Joe!  The  strike 
showed  me  the  way.  We're  beat  this  time,  but  somehow  it 
hasn't  made  the  difference  ye  might  think.  I'm  goin'  to 
make  more  strikes  before  I  quit,  and  they  won't  all  of  them 
be  beat!" 

She  stopped  speaking ;  and  Hal  walked  beside  her, 
stirred  by  a  conflict  of  emotions.  His  vision  of  her  was 
indeed  true;  she  would  make  more  strikes!  He  was  glad 
and  proud  of  that;  but  then  came  the  thought  that  while 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  373 

she,  a  girl,  was  going  on  with  the  bitter  war,  he,,  a  man, 
would  be  eating  grilled  beefsteaks  at  the  club ! 

"  Mary,"  he  said,  "  I'm  ashamed  of  myself — " 

"  That's  not  it,  Joe !  Ye've  no  call  to  be  asfiamed. 
Ye  can't  help  it  where  ye  were  born  — " 

"  Perhaps  not,  Mary.  But  when  a  man  knows  he's 
never  paid  for  any  of  the  things  he's  enjoyed  all  his  life, 
surely  the  least  he  can  do  is  to  be  ashamed.  I  hope  you'll 
try  not  to  hate  me  as  you  do  the  others." 

"  I  never  hated  ye,  Joe!  Not  for  one  moment!  I  tell 
ye  fair  and  true,  I  love  ye  as  much  as  ever.  I  can  say  it, 
because  I'd  not  have  ye  now;  I've  seen  the  other  girl,  and 
I  know  ye'd  never  be  satisfied  with  me.  I  don't  know  if  I 
ought  to  say  it,  but  I'm  thinkin'  ye'll  not  be  altogether  satis- 
fied with  her,  either.  Ye'll  be  unhappy  either  way- 
God  help  ye !  " 

The  girl  had  read  deeply  into  his  soul  in  this  last 
speech ;  so  deeply  that  Hal  could  not  trust  himself  to  an- 
swer.' 'They  were  passing  a  street-lamp^  and  she  looked 
at  him,  for  the  first  time  since  they  had  started  on  their 
walk,  and  saw  harassment  in  his  face.  A  sudden  tender- 
ness came  into  her  voice.  "  Joe,"  she  said ;  "  ye're  lookin' 
bad.  'Tis  good  ye're  goin'  away  from  this  place!  " 

He  tried  to  smile,  but  the  effort  was  feeble. 

•"  Joe,"  she  went  on,  "  ye  asked  me  to  be  your  friend. 
Well,  I'll  be  that!"  And  she  held  out  the  big,  rough 
hand. 

He  took  it.  "  We'll  not  forget  each  other,  Mary,"  he 
said.  There  was  a  catch  in  his  voice. 

"  Sure,  lad !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  WV11  make  another 
strike  some  day,  just  like  we  did  at  North  Valley !  " 

Hal  pressed  the  big  hand ;  but  then  suddenly,  remember- 
ing his  brother  stalking  solemnly  in  the  rear,  he  relin- 
quished the  clasp,  and  failed  to  say,  all  the  fine  things  he 
had  in  his  mind.  He  called  himself  a  rebel,  but  not 
enough  to  be  sentimental  before  Edward ! 

25 


374  KING  COAL 

§  29..  They  came  to  the  house  where  John  Edstrom  was 
staying.  The  labouring  man's  wife  opened  the  door.  In 
answer  to  Hal's  question,  she  said,  '"  The  old  gentleman's 
pretty  bad." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  him  ?  " 

"  Didn't  you  know  he  was  hurt  ?  " 

"No.     How?" 

"  They  beat  him  up,  sir.  Broke  his  arm,  and  nearly 
broke  his  head." 

Hal  and  Mary  exclaimed  in  chorus,  "  Who  did  it? 
When  ? " 

"  We  don't  know  who  did  it.    'it  was  four  nights  ago." 

Hal  realised  it  must  have  happened  while  he  was 
escaping  from  MacKellar's.  "  Have  you  had  a  doctor 
for  him?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  but  we  can't  do  much,  because  my  man  is 
out  of  work;  and  I  have  the  children  and  the  boarders  to 
look  after." 

Hal  and  Mary  ran  upstairs.  Their  old  friend  lay  in 
darkness,  but  he  recognised  their  voices  and  greeted  them 
with  a  feeble  cry.  The  woman  brought  a:  lamp,  and  they 
saw  him  lying  on  his  back,  his  head  done  up  in  bandages, 
and  one  arm  bound  in  splints.  He  looked  really  desper- 
ately bad,  his  kindly  old  eyes  deep-sunken  and  haggard, 
and  his  face  —  Hal  remembered  what  Jeff  .Cotton  had 
called  him,  "  that  dough-faced  old  preacher !  " 

They  got  the  story  of  what  had  happened  at  the  time  of 
Hal's  flight  to  Percy's  train.  Edstrom  had  shouted  a 
warning  to  the  fugitives,  and  set  out  to  run  after  them; 
when  one  of  the  mine-guards,  running  past  him,  had 
fetched  him  a  blow  over  the*  eye,  knocking  him  down.  He 
had  struck  his  head  upon  the  pavement,  and  lain  there  un- 
conscious for  many  hours.  When  finally  some  one  had 
come  upon  him,  and  summoned  a  policeman,  they  had  gone 
through  his  pockets,  and  found  the'  address  of  this  place 
where  he  was  staying  written  on  a  scrap  of  paper.  That 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  375 

was  all  there  was  to  the  story  —  except  that  Edsjrom  had 
refrained  from  sending  to  MacKellar  for  help,  because  he 
had  felt  sure  they  were  .all  working  to  get, the  mine  open, 
and  he  did  not  feel  he  had  the  right  to  put  his  troubles 
upon  them. 

Hal  listened  to  the  old  man's  feeble  statements,  and 
there  came  back  to  him  a  surge  of^that  fury  which  his 
North  Valley  experience  had  generated  in  him.  It  was 
foolish,  perhaps  ;•  for  to  knock  down  an  old  man  who  had 
been:  making  trouble  was  a  comparatively  slight  exercise  of 
the  functions  of  a  mine-guard.  But  to  Hal  it  seemed  the 
most  characteristic  of  all  the  outrages  he  had  seen;  it  was 
an  expression  of  the  company's  utter  blindness  to  all  that 
was  best  in  life.  This  old  man,  who  was  so  gentle,  so  pa- 
tient, who  had  suffered  so  much,  and  not  learned  to  hate, 
who  had  kept  his  faith  so  true!  What  did  his  faith 
mean  to  the  thugs  -of  the  General  Fuel  Company  ?  What 
had  his  philosophy  availed  him,  his  saintliness,  his  hopes 
for  mankind?  They  had  fetched  him  one  swipe  as  they 
passed  him,  and  left  him  lying  —  alive  or  dead,  it  was  all 
the  same. 

Hal  had  got  some  satisfaction  out  of  his  little  adventure 
in  widowhood,  and  some  out  of  Mary's  self-victory;  but 
here,  listening  ;to  the -old  man's  whispered  story,  his  satis- 
faction died.  He  realised  again  the  grim  truth  about  his 
summer's  experience  — *  that  the  issue  of  it  had  been  de- 
feaU. .  Utter,  unqualified  defeat!  He  had  caused  the 
bosses  a  momentary  chagrin;  but  it  would  not  take  them 
many  hours  to  realise  that  he  had  really  dono  them  a 
service  in  calling  oil'  the  strike  for  them.  They  would  start 
the  wheels  of  industry  again,  and  the  workers  would  be 
just  where  they  had  been  before  Joe  Smith  came  to  be 
stableman  and  buddy  among  them.  What  was  all  the  talk 
about  solidarity,  about  hope  for  the  future;  what  would  it 
amount  to  in  the  long  run,  the  daily  rolling  of  the  wheels  of 
industry  ?  The  workers  of  North  Valley  would  have  ex- 


376  KING  COAL 

actly  the  right  they  had  always  had  —  the  right  to  be  slaves, 
and  if  they  did  not  care  for  that,  the  right  ta  be  martyrs ! 
Mary  sat  holding  the  old  man's  hand  and  whispering 
words  of  passionate  sympathy,  while  Hal  got  up  and  paced 
the  tiny  attic,  all  ablaze  with  anger.  He  resolved  sud- 
denly that  he  would  not  go  back  to  Western  City;  he  would 
stay  here,  and  get  an  honest  lawyer  to  come,  and  set  out  to 
punish  the  men  who  were  guilty  of  this  outrage.  He 
would  test  out  the  law  to  the  limit;  if  necessary,  he  would 
begin  a  political  fight,  to  put  an  end  to  coal-company  rule 
in  this  community.  He  would  find  some  one  to  write  up 
these  conditions,  he  would  raise  the  money  and  publish  a 
paper  to  make  them  known!  Before  his  surging  wrath 
had  spent  itself,  Hal  Warner  had  actually  come  out  as  a 
candidate  for  governor,  and  was  overturning  the  Republi- 
can machine  —  all  because  an  unidentified  coal-company 
detective  had  knocked  a  dough-faced  old  miner  into  the 
gutter  and  broken  his  arm ! 


§  30.  In  the  end,  of  course,  Hal  had  to  come  down  to 
practical  matters.  He  sat  by  the  bed  and  told  the  old  man 
tactfully  that  his  brother  had  come  to  see  him  and  had 
given  him  some  money.  This  brother  had  plenty  of 
money,  so  Edstrom  could  be  taken  to  the  hospital ;  or,  if  he 
preferred,  Mary  could  stay  near  here  and  take  care  of 
him.  They  turned  to  the  landlady,  who  had  been  stand- 
ing in  the  doorway;  she  had  three  boarders  in  her  little 
home,  it  seemed,  but  if  Mary  could  share  a  bed  with  the 
landlady's  two  children,  they  might  make  out.  In  spite 
of  Hal's  protest,  Mary  accepted  this  offer;  he  saw  what 
was  in  her  mind  —  she  would  take  some  of  his  money, 
because  of  old  Edstrom's  need,  but  she  would  take  just  as 
little  as  she  possibly  could. 

John  Edstrom  of  course  knew  nothing  of  events  since  his 
injury,  so  Hal  told  him  the  story  briefly  —  though  without 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  377 

mentioning  the  transformation  which  had  taken  place  in 
the  miner's  buddy. :  He  told  about  the  part  Mary  had 
played  in  the  strike;  trying  to  entertain  the  poor  old  man, 
he  told  how  he  had  seen  her  mounted  upon  a  snow-white 
horse,  and  wearing  a  robe  of  white,  soft  and* lustrous,  like 
Joan  of  Arc,  or  the  leader  of  a  suffrage  parade. 

"  Sure,"  said  Mary,  "  he's  forever  callin'  attention  to 
this  old  dress !  " 

Hal  looked;  she  was  wearing  the  same  blue  calico. 
"  There's  something  mysterious  about  that  dress,"  said  he. 
It's  one  of  those  that  you  read  about  in  fairy-stories,  that 
forever  patch  themselves,  and  keep  themselves  new  and 
starchy.  A  body  only  needs  one  dress  like  that!  " 

"  Sure,  lad,"  she  answered.  "  There's  no  fairies  in 
coal-camps  —  unless  'tis .  meself,  that  washes  it  at  night, 
and  dries  it  over  the  stove,  and  irons  it  next  morjiin'." 

She  said  this  with  unwavering  cheerfulness;  but  even 
the  old  miner  lying  in  pain  on  the  cot  could  realise  the 
tragedy  of  a  young  girl's  having  only  one  old  dress  in  her 
love-hunting  season.  He  looked  at  the  young  couple,  and 
saw  their  evident  interest  in  each  other ;  after  the  fashion 
of  the  old,  he  was  disposed  to  help  along  the  romance. 
"  She  may  need  some  orange  blossoms,"  he  ventured, 
feebly. 

"  Go  along  with  ye !  "  laughed  Mary,  still  unwavering. 

"  Sure,"  put  in  Hal,  with  hasty  .gallantry,  "  'tis  a  bios- 
soiii  she  is  herself!  A  rose  in  a  mining-camp  —  and 
there's  a  dispute  about  her  in  the  poetry-books.  One  tells 
you  to  leave  her  on  her  stalk,  and  another  says  to  gather  ye 
rosebuds  while  ye  may,  old  time  is  still  a-flying!  " 

"  Ye're  mixin?  me  up,"  said  Mary.  "  A  while  back  I 
was  ridin'  on  a  white  horse." 

"  I  remember,"  said  Old "Edstrom, •"'  not  so  far  back,  you 
were  an  ant,  Mary." 

Her  face  became  grave.  To  jest  about  her  personal 
tragedy  was  one  thing,  to  jest  about  the  strike  was  an- 


378  KING  COAL 

other.  "  Yes,  I  remember.  Ye  said  I'd  stay  in  the 
line !  Ye  were  wiser  than  me,  Mr.  Edstrom." 

"  That's  one  of  the  things  that  come  with  being  old, 
Mary."  He  moved  his  gnarled  old  hand  toward  hers. 
"  You're  going  on,  now  2  "  he  asked.  u  You're  a  unionist 
now,  Mary  ? " 

"  I  am  that !  "  she  answered,  promptly,-  her  grey  eyes 
shining. 

"  There's  a  saying,"  said  he  — "  once  a  striker,  always 
a  striker.  Find  a  way  to  get  some  education  for  your- 
self, Mary,  and  when  the  big  strike  comes  you'll  be  one  of 
those  the  miners  look  to.  I'll  not  be  here,  I  know  —  the 
young  people  must  take-  my  place/' 

"  I'll  do  my  part,"  she  answered.  Her  voice  was  low ; 
it  was  a  kind  of  benediction  the  old  man  was  giving  her. 

The  woman  had  gone  downstaiis  to  attend  to  her  chil- 
dren ;  she  came  back  now  to  say  that  there  was  a  gentleman 
at  the  door,  who  wanted  to  know  when  his  brother  was 
coming.  Hal  remembered  suddenly  —  Edward  had  been 
pacing  up  and  down  all  this  while,  with  no  company  but  a 
"  hardware  drummer !  "  The  younger  brother's  resolve  to 
stay  in  Pedro  had  already  begun  to  weaken  somewhat,  and 
now  it  weakened  still  further ;  he  realised  that  life  is  com- 
plex, that  duties  conflict !  He  assured  the  old  miner  again 
of  his  ability  to  see  that  he  did  not  suffer  from  want,  and 
then  he  bade  him  farewell  for  a  while. 

He  started  out,  and  Mary  went  as  far  as  the  head  of  the 
stairway  with  him.  He  took  the  girl's  big,  rough  hand  in 
his  —  this  time  with  no  one  to  see.  "  Mary,"  he  said,  "  I 
want  you  to.  know  that  nothing  will  make  me  forget  you ; 
and  nothing  will  make  me  forget  the  miners." 

"  Ah,  Joe !  "  she  cried.  "  Don't  let  them  win  ye  away 
from  us !  We  need  ye  so  bad !  " 

"  I'm  going  back  home  for  a  while,"  lie.  answered,  "  but 
you  can  be  sure  that  no  matter  what  happens  in  my  life, 
I'm  going  to  fight  for  the.  working  people.  When  the  big 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  379 

strike  comes,  as  we  know  it's  coming  in  this  coal-country, 
I'll  be  here  to  do  my  share." 

"  Sure  lad,"  she  said,  looking  him  bravely  in  the  eye, 
"  and  good-bye  to  ye,  Joe  Smith."  Her  eyes  did  not 
waver;  but  Hal  noted  a  catch  in  her  voice,  and  he  found 
himself  with  an  impulse  to  take  her  in  his  arms.  It  was 
very  puzzling.  He  knew  he  loved  Jessie  Arthur;  he  re- 
membered the  question  Mary  had  once  asked  him  —  could 
he  be  in  love  with  two  girls  at  the  same  time  ?  It  was  not 
-in  accord  with  any  moral  code  that  had  been  impressed 
upon  him,  but  apparently  he  could! 


§  31.  He  went  out  to  the  street,  where  his  brother  was 
pacing  up  and  down  in  a  ferment.  The  "  hardware 
drummer  "  had  made  another  effort  to  start  a  conversa- 
tion, and  had  been  told  to  go  to  hell  —  no  less! 

"  Well,  are  you  through  now  ? "  Edward  demanded, 
taking  out  his  irritation  on  Hal. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  other.  "I  suppose  so."  He  real- 
ised that  Edward  would  not  be  concerned  about  Edstrom's 
broken  arm. 

"  Then,  for  God's  'sake,  get  some  clothes  on  and  let's 
have  some  food." 

"  All  right,"  said  Hal.  But  his  answer  was  listless, 
and  the  other  looked  at  him  sharply.  Even  by  the  moon- 
light Edward  could  see  the  lines  in  the  face  of  his  younger 
brother,  and  the  hollows  around  his  eyes.  Eor  the  first 
time  he  realised  how  deeply  these  experiences  were  cut- 
ting into  the  boy's  soul.  "  You  poor  kid !  "  he  exclaimed, 
with  sudden  feeling.  But  Hal  did  not  answer;  he  did 
not  want  sympathy,  he  did  not  want  anything! 

Edward  made  a  gesture  of  despair.  "  God  knows,  I 
don't  know  what  to  do  for  you !  " 

They  started  back  to  the  hotel,  and  on  the  way  Edward 
cast  about  in  his  mind  for  a  harmless  subject  of  conver- 


380  KING  COAL 

sation.  He  mentioned  jthat  he  had  foreseen  the  shutting 
up  of  the  stores,  and  had  purchased  an  outfit  for  his 
brother.  There  was  no  need  to  thank  himj  he  added 
grimly;  he  had  no  intention  of  travelling  to  Western. City 
in  company  with  a  hobo. 

So  the  young  miner  had  a  bath,  the  first  real  one  in  a 
long  time.  (Never  again  would  it  be  possible  for  ladies 
to  say  in  Hal  Warner's  presence  that  the  ^poor  might  at 
least  keep  clean!)  He  had  a  shave;  he  trimmed  his 
finger-nails,  and  brushed  his.  hair,  and  dressed  himself  as 
a  gentleman.  In  spite  of  himself  be  found  his  cheerful- 
ness partly  restored.  A  strange  and  wonderful  sensation 
—  to  be  dressed  once  more  as  a  gentleman.  He  thought 
of  the  saying  of  the  old  negro,  who  liked  to  stub  his  toe, 
because  it  felt  so  good  when  it  stopped  hurting ! 

They  went  out  to  find  a  restaurant,  and  on  the  way  one 
last  misadventure  befell  Edward.  Hal  saw  an  old  miner 
walking  past,  and  stopped  with  a  cry :  "  Mike !  "  He 
forgot  all  at  once  that  he  was  a  gentleman;  the  old  miner 
forgot  it  also.  He  stared  for  on6  bewildered  moment, 
then  he  rushed,  at  Hal  and  seized  him  in  the  hug  of  a 
mountain  grizzly. 

"My  buddy!  My  buddy!  "  he  cried,  and  gave  Hal  a 
prodigious  thump  on  the  back.  "  By  Judas !  "  And  he 
gave  him  a  thump  with  the  other  hand.  "  Hey !  you  old 
son-of-a-gun !  "  And  he  gave  him  a  hairy  kiss ! 

But  in  the  very  midst  of  these  raptures  it  dawned  over 
him  that  there  was  something  wrong  about  his  buddy. 
He  drew  back,  staring.  "  You  got  good  clothes !  You 
got  rich,  hey  ?  " 

Evidently  the  old  fellow  had  heard  no  rumour  concern- 
ing Hal's  secret.  "  I've  been  doing  pretty  well/7  Hal 
said. 

"  What  you  work  at,  hey  ?  " 

"  I  been  working  at  a  strike  in  North  Valley." 

"  What's  that  ?     You  make  money  working  at  strike  ?  " 


THE  WILL  OE  KING  COAL  381 

Hal  laughed,  but  did  ivot  explain.  "What  you  work- 
ing at?" 

"  I  work  at  strike  too  —  all  alone  strike." 

"No  job?" 

"I  work  two  days  on  railroad.  Got  busted  track  up 
there.  Pav  me  twQ-twenty-five  a  day.  Then  no  more 
job." 

"  Have  you  tried  the  mines  ?  " 

"  What  ?  Me  ?  They  got  me  all  right !  I  go  up  to 
San  Jose.  Pit-boss  say,  '-Get  the  hell  out  of  here,  , you 
old  groucher!  You  don't1  set  no  more  jobs  in  this  dis^ 
trict !  '  " 

Hal  looked  Mike  over,  and  saw  that  his  dirty  old  face 
was  drawn  and  white,  belying  the  feeble  cheerfulness  of 
his  words.  "  We're  going  to  have  something  to  eat,"  he 
said.  "  Won't  you  come  with  us  ?  " 

"  Sure  thing !  "  said  Mike,  with  alacrity.  "  I  go  easy 
on  grub  now." 

Hal  introduced  "Mr.  Edward  Warner,"  who  said 
"  How  do  you  do  ?  "  He  accepted  gingerly  the  calloused 
paw  whicn  the  old  Slovak 'held  out  to  him,  but  he  could 
not  keep  the  look  of  irritation  from  his  face.  His  pa- 
tience was  utterly  exhausted.  He  had  hoped  to  find  a 
decent  restaurant  and  have  some  real  food;  but  now,  of 
course,  he  could  not  enjoy  anything,  with  this  old  gobbler 
in  front  of  him. 

They  entered  an  all-night  lunch-room,  where  Hal  and 
Mike  ordered  cheese-sandwiches  and  milk,  and  Edward 
sat  and  wondered  at  his  brother's  ability  to  eat  such  food. 
Meantime  the  two  cronies  told  each  other  their  stories, 
and  Old  Mike  slapped  his  knee  and  cried  out  with  delight 
over  Hal's  exploits.  "  Oh,  you  buddy !  "  he  exclaimed ; 
then,  to  Edward,  "  Ain't  he  a  daisy,  hey  ?  "  And  he  gave 
Edward  a  thump  on  the  shoulder.  "  By  Judas,  they  don't 
beat  my  buddy!  " 

Mike  Sikoria  had  last  been  ^een  by  Hal  from  the  win- 


382  KING -COAL 

dow  of  the  North  Valley  jail,  when  he  had  been  distrib- 
uting the  copies  of  Hal's  signature,  and  Bud  Adams  had 
taken  him  in  charge.  The  mine-guard  had  marched  him 
into  a  shed  in  back  of  the  power-house,  where  he  had 
found  Kauser  and  Kalovac,  two  other  fellows  who  had 
been  arrested  while  helping  in  the  distribution. 

Mike  detailed  the  experience  with  his  usual  animation. 
"  '  Hey,  Mister  Bud,'  I  say,  i  if  you  going  to  send  me 
down  canyon,  I  want  to  get  my  things.'  '  You  go  to  hell 
for  your  things/  says  he.  And  then  I  say,  i  Mister  Bud, 
I  want  to  get  my  time.'  And  he  says,  '  I  give  you  plenty 
time  right  here ! '  And  he  punch  me  and  throw  me  over. 
Then  he  grab  me  up  again  and  pull  me  outside,  and  I  see 
big  .automobile  waiting,  and  I  say, .*  Holy  Judas!  I  get 
ride  in  automobile!  Here  I  am,  old  fellow  fifty-seven 
years  old,  never  been  in  automobile  ride  all  my  days.  I 
think  always  I  die  and  never  get  in  automobile  ride!' 
We  go  down  canyon,  and  I  look  round  and  see  them  moun- 
tains, and  feel  nice  cool  wind  in  my  face,  and  I  say, 
\  Bully  for  you,  Mister  Bud,  I  don't  never  forget  this 
automobile.  I  don't  have  such  good  time  any  day  all  my 
life.'  And  he  say,  i  Shut  your  face,  you  old  wop !  '  Then 
we  come  out  on  prairie,  we  go  up  in  Black  Hills,  and  they 
stpp,  and  say,  '  Get  out  here,  you  sons  o' -guns.'  And 
they  leave  us  there  all  alone.  They  say,  '  You  come  back 
again,  we  catch  you  and  we  rip  the  guts  out  of  you ! ? 
They  go  away  fast,  and  we  got  to  walk  seven  hours,  us 
fellers,  before  we  come  to  a  house!  But  I  don't  mind 
that,  I  begged  some  grub,^  and  then  I  got  job  mending 
track;  only  I  don't  find  out  if  you  get  out  of  jail,  and 
I  think  maybe  I  lose  my  buddy  and  never  see  him  no 
more." 

Here  the  old  man  stopped,  gazing  affectionately  at  Hal. 
"  I  write  you  letter  to  North  Valley,  but  I  don't  hear 
nothing,  and  I  got  to  walk  all  the  way  011  railroad  track 
to  look  for  you." 


THE  WILL  OF  KING  COAL  383 

How  was  it?  Hal  wondered.  He  had  encountered 
naked  horror  in  this  coal-country  —  yet  here  he  was,  not 
entirely  glad  at  the  thought  of  leaving  it !  He  would  miss 
Old  Mike  Sikoria,  his  hairy  kiss  and  his  grizzly-bear  hug ! 

He  struck  the  old  man  dumb  by  pressing  a  twenty- 
dollar  bill  into  his  hand.  Also  he  gave  him  the  address 
of  Edstrom  and  Mary,  and  a  note  to  Johann  Hartman, 
who  might  use  him  to  work  among  the  Slovaks  who  came 
down  into  the  town.  Hal  explained  that  he  had  to  go 
back  to  Western  City  that  night,  but  that  he  would  never 
forget  his  old  friend,  and  would  see  that  he  had  a  good 
job.  He  was  trying  to  figure  out  some  occupation  for  the 
old  man  on  his  father's  country-place.  A  pet  grizzly! 

Train-time  came,  and  the  long  line  of  dark  sleepers 
rolled  in  by  the  depot-platform.  It  was  late  —  after  mid- 
night ;  but,  nevertheless,  there  was  Old  Mike.  He  was  in 
awe  of  Hal  now,  with  his  fine  clothes  and  his  twenty- 
dollar  bills ;  but,  nevertheless,  under  stress  of  his  emotion, 
he  gave  him  one  more  hug,  and  one  more  hairy  kiss. 
"  Good-bye,  my  buddy !  "  he  cried.  "  You  come  back,  my 
buddy !  I  don't  forget  my  buddy !  "  And  when  the 
train  began  to  move,  he  waved  his  ragged  cap,  and  ran 
along  the  platform  to  get  a  last  glimpse,  to  call  a  last 
farewell.  When  Hal  turned  into  the  car,  it  was  with  more 
than  a  trace  of  moisture  in  his  eyes. 


POSTSCRIPT 

Prom  previous  experiences  the  writer  has  learned  that 
many  people,  reading  a  novel  such  as  "  King  Coal,"  de- 
sire to  be  informed  as  to  whether  it  is  true  to  fact.  They 
write  to  ask  if  the  book  is  meant  to  be  so  taken ;  they  ask 
for  evidence  to  convince  themselves  and  others.  Having 
answered  thousands  of  such  letters  in  the  course  of  his 
life,  it  seems  to  the  author  the  part  of  common-sense  to 
answer  some  of  them  in  advance. 

"  King  Coal "  is  a  picture  of  the  life  of  the  workers  in 
unorganised  labour-camps  in  many  parts  of  America. 
The  writer  has  avoided  naming  a  definite  place,  for  the 
reason  that  such  conditions  are  to  be  found  as  far  apart 
as  West  Virginia,  Alabama,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  and 
Colorado.  Most  of  the  details  of  his  picture  were  gath- 
ered in  the  last-named  state,  which  the  writer  visited  on 
three  occasions  during  and  just  after  the  great  coal-strike 
of  1913-14.  •  The  book  gives  a  true  picture  of  conditions 
and  events  observed  by  him  at  this  time.  Practically  all 
the  characters  are  real  persons,  and  every  incident  which 
has  social  significance  is  not  merely  a  true  incident,  but  a 
typical  one.  The  life  portrayed  in  "  King  Coal  "  is  the 
life  that  is  lived  to-day  by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men, 
women  and  children  in  this  "  land  of  the  free." 

The  reader  who  wishes  evidence  may  be  accommodated. 
There  was  never  a  strike  more  investigated  than  the  Colo- 
rado coal-strike.  The  material  about  it  in  the  writer's 
possession  cannot  be  less  than  eight  million  words,  the 
greater  part  of  it  sworn  testimony  taken  under  govern- 
ment supervision.  There  is,  first,  the  report  of  the  Con- 
gressional Committee,  a  government  document  of  three 

384 


POSTSCRIPT  385 

thousand  closely  printed  pages,  about  two  million  words ; 
an  equal  amount  of  testimony  given  before  the  U.  S.  Com- 
mission on  Industrial  Relations,  also  a  government  docu- 
ment; a  special  report  on  the  Colorado  strike,  prepared 
for  the  same  commission,  a  book  of  189  pages,  supporting 
every  contention  of  this  story;  about  four  hundred  thou- 
sand words  of  testimony  given  before  a  committee  ap- 
pointed at  the  suggestion '  of  the  Governor  of  Colorado ; 
a  report  made  by  the  Rev.  Henry  A.  Atkinson,  who 
investigated  the  strike  as  representative  of  the  Federal 
Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America,  and  of 
the  Social  Service  Commission  of  the  Congregational 
Churches;  the  report  of  an  elaborate  investigation  by  the 
Colorado  state  militia;  the  bulletins  issued  by  both  sides 
during  the  controversy;  the  testimony  given  at  various 
coroners'  inquests ;  and,  finally,  articles  by  different  writ- 
ers to  be  found  in  the  files  of  Everybody's  Magazine,  the 
Metropolitan  Magazine,  the  Survey,  Harper  s  Weekly, 
and  Collier's  Weekly,  all  during  the  year  1914. 

The  writer  prepared  a  collection  of  extracts  from  these 
various  sources,  meaning  to  publish  them  in  this  place; 
but  while  the  manuscript  was  in  the  hands  of  the  publish- 
ers, there  appeared  one.  document,  which,  in-  the  weight  of 
its  authority,  seemed  to  discount  all  others.  A  decision 
was  rendered  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Colo- 
rado, in  -a  case  which  included  the  most  fundamental  of 
the  many  issues  raised  in  "  King  Coal."  It  is  not  often 
that  the  writer  of  a  novel  of  contemporary  life  is  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  have  the  truth  of  his  work  passed  upon  and 
established  by  the  highest  judicial  tribunal  of  the  com- 
munity ! 

In  the  elections  of  November,  1914,  in  Huerfano 
County,  Colorado,  J.  B.  Farr,  Republican  candidate  for 
re-election  as  sheriff,  a  person  known  throughout  the  coal- 
country  as  "  the  King  of  Huerfano  County/7  was  returned 
as  elected  by  a  majority  of  329  votes.  His  rival,  the 


386  KING  COAL 

Democratic  candidate,  contested  the  election,  alleging 
• i  malconduct,  fraud  and  cormption."  The  district  .court 
found  in  Farr's  favour,  and  the  case  was  appealed  on 
error  to  the-  Supreme  Court  of  the  State.  On.  June  21st, 
1916,  after  Farr  had  served  nearly  the  whole  of  his  term 
of  office,  the  Supreme  Court  handed  down  a  decision 
which  unseated  him  and  the  entire  ticket  elected  with  him, 
finding  in  favour  of  the  opposition  ticket  in  all  cdses  and 
upon  all  grounds  charged. 

The  decision  is  long  —  about  ten  thousand  words,  and 
its  legal  technicalities  would  not  interest  the  reader.  It 
will  suffice  to  reprint  the  essential  paragraphs.  The 
reader  is  asked  to  give  these  paragraphs  careful  study, 
considering,  not  merely  the  specific  offence  denounced  by 
the  court,  but  its  wider  implications.  The  offence  was 
one  so  unprecedented  that  the  justices  of  the  court,  men 
chosen  for  their  learning  in  the  history  of  offences,  were 
moved  to  say:  "We  find  no  such  example  of  fraud 
within  the  books,,  and  must  seek  the  letter  and  spirit  of 
the  law  in  a  free  government,  as  a  scale  in  which  to  weigh 
such  conduct."  And  let  it  be  noted,  this  "  crime  without 
a  name77  was  not  a  crime  of  passion,  but  of  policy;  it 
was  a  crime  deliberately  planned  and  carried  out  by  profit- 
seeking  corporations  of  enormous  power.  Let  the  reader 
imagine  the  psychology  of  the  men  of  great. wealth  who 
ordered  this  Crime,  as  a  means  of  keeping  and  increasing 
their  wealth ;  let  him  realise  what  must  be  the  attitude  of 
such  men  to  their  helpless  workers ;  and  then  let  him  ask 
himself  whether  there  is  any  act  portrayed  in.  "King 
Coal  "..  which  men  of  snch  character  would  shrink  from 
ordering. 

The  Court  decision  first  gives  an  outline  of  the -case, 
using  for  the  most  part  the  statements  of  the  counsel  for 
the  defendant,  Farr ;  so  that  for  practical  purposes  the 
following  may  be  taken  as  the  coal  companies7  own  ac- 
count of  their  domain :  "  Round  the  shaft  of  each  mine 


POSTSCRIPT  387 

are  clustered  the  tipple,  the  mine  office,  the  shops,  sheds 
and  outbuildings;  and  huddled 'close  by,  within  a  stone's 
throw,  cottages  of  the  miners  built  on  the  land  of,  and 
owned  by,  the  mining  company*  All  the  dwellers  in  the 
camp  are;  employes  of  the  mine.  There  is  no  other  in- 
dustry. .This  is  .'the  camp.'  Of  the  eight  . '  closed 
camps7  it  appears  that  practically  the  same  conditions 
existed  in  all  of  them,,  ,and,  those  conditions  were  in  gen- 
eral that  members  of  the  United  Mine  Workers  of  Amer- 
ica, their  organisers  or  agitators,  were  prevented  from 
coming  into  the  camps,  so  far  as  it  was  possible  to  keep 
them  out,  and  to  this  end  guards  were  stationed  about, 
them.  '  Of  the  eight  '  closed  camps '  one  of  them,  '  Wai- 
sen/  was, ,  and  at  the  time  of  the  trial  still  was,  enclosed 
by  a  fence  erected  at  the  beginning  of  the  strike  in  Octo- 
ber, 191.3s,;  Rouse  and  Cameron  were  partly,  but  never 
entirely,  enclosed  by  fences.  It  is  admitted  that  all  per- 
sons entering  these  camps  and  precincts  were  required  by 
the  companies  to.  have  passes,  and  it  is  contended  that  this 
was  an  '  industrial  necessity.'  " 

The  Court  then  goes  on  as  follows: 

"  The  Federal  troops, ,  entered  the  district  in  May  of 
1914,  and  the  ^testimony  is  in  agreement  that  no  serious 
acts  of  violence  occurred  thereafter,  and  that  order  was 
preserved  up  to  and  subsequent  to  the  election,  and  to  the 
time  of  this  trial. 

"•It.  was  under  this  .condition  that  in  July,  1914,  the 
Board  of  County  Commissioners  changed  certain  of  the 
election  precincts  so  as  to  constitute  each  of  such  camps 
an  election  precinct,  and  with  Lut  one  exception  where  a 
few  ranches  were  included,  these  precincts  were  made  to 
conform. to  the  fences  and  lines  around  each  camp,  pro^ 
tected  by  fences  in  some  instances  and  with  armed  guards 
in  all  cases.  Thus  each  election  precinct  by  this  unparal- 
leled .act  of  the  commissioners  was  placed  exclusively 
within  and  upon  the  private  grounds  and  under  the  pri- 


388  KING  GOAL 

vate  control  of  a  coal  corporation,  which  autocratically 
declared  who  should  and  who  should  not  enter  upon  the 
territory  of  this  political  entity  of  the  state,  so  purposely 
bounded  by  the  county  commissioners. 

"  With  but  one  exception  all  the  lands  and  buildings 
within  each  of  these  election  precincts  as  so  created,  were 
owned  or  controlled  by  the  coal  corporations ;  every  person 
resident  within  such  precincts  'was  an  employe  of  these 
private  corporations  or  their  allied  companies,  with  the 
single  exception:  every  judge,  clerk  or  officer  of  election 
with  the  exception  of  a  saloon  keeper,  and  partner  of  Farr, 
was  an  employe  of  the  coal-companies. 

"  The  polling  places  were  upon  the  grounds1,  and  in  the 
buildings  of  these  companies;  the  registration  lists  were 
kept  within  the  private  offices  or  buildings  of  such  com- 
panies, and  used  and  treated  as  their  private  property. 

"  Thus  were  the  public  election  districts  and  the  public 
election  machinery  turned  over  to  the  absolute  domination 
and  imperial  control  of  private  coal  corporations,  and  used 
by  them  as  absolutely  and  privately  as  were  their  mines, 
to  and  for  their  own  private  purposes,  and  upon  which 
public  territory  no  man  might  enter  for  either  public  or 
private  purpose,  save  and  except  by  the  express  permis- 
sion of  these  private  corporations. 

"  This  right  to  determine  who  should  enter  such  so 
called  election  precincts,  appears  from  the  record  to  have 
been  exercised  as  against  all  classes;  merchants,  trades- 
men or  what  not,  and  whether  the  business  of  such  person 
was  public  or  private.  Indeed,  it  appears  that  in  one  in- 
stance the  governor  and  adjutant  general  of  the  state  while 
on  official  business,  were  denied  admission  to  one  of  these 
closed  camps.  And  that  on  the  day  of  election,  the  Demo- 
cratic watchers  and  challengers  for  Walsen  Mine  precinct, 
one  of  which  was  Neelley,  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
sheriff,  were  forced  to  seek  and  secure  a  detail  of  Federal 
soldiers  to  escort  them  into  the  precinct  and  to  the  polls, 


POSTSCRIPT  389 

and  that  such  soldiers  remained  as  such  guard  during  the 
day  and  a  part  of  the  night.  .  .  . 

"  But  if  there  was  any  doubt  concerning  the  condition 
of  the  closed  camps  and  precincts,  and  the  exclusion  of 
representatives  of  the  Democratic  party  from  discussing 
the  issues  of  the  campaign  within  the  precincts  compris- 
ing Hhe  closed  camps,  it  is  entirely  removed  by  the  testi- 
mony of  the  witness  Weitzel,  for  contestee  (Farr).  He 
testified  that  he -was  a  resident  of  Pueblo,  and  was  man- 
ager of  the  Colorado  Fuel  and  Iron  Company;  that  Rouse, 
Lester,  Ideal,  Cameron,  Walseu,  Pictou  and  Morally  are 
camps  under  his  jurisdiction.  That  he  had  general 
charge  of  the  camps  and  that  there  was  no  company  of- 
ficial in  Colorado  superior  to  him  in  this  respect  except 
the  president ;  that  the  superintendent  and  other  employes 
are  under  his  supervision;  that  the  Federal  troops  came 
about  the  1st  of  May,  1914,  and  continued  until  January, 
1915.  That  in  all  those  camps  he  tried  to  keep  out  the 
people  who  were  antagonistic  to  the  company's  interests; 
that  it  was  private  property  and  so  treated  by  his  com- 
pany; that  through  him  the  company  and  its  officials 
assumed  to  exercise  authority  as  to  who  might  or  who 
might  not  enter;  that  if  persons  could  assure  or  satisfy 
the  man  at  the  gate,  or  the  superintendent  that  they  were 
not  connected  with  the  United  Mine  Workers,  or  in  their 
employ  as  agitators,  they  were  let  into  the  camp.  That 
'  no  one  we  were  fighting  against  got  in  for  social  inter- 
course or  any  other 7 ;  that  he  and  officials  under  him 
assumed  to  pass  upon  the  question  of  whether  or  not  any 
person  coming  there  came  for  the  purpose  of  agitation. 
That  Mr.  Mitchell,  the  chairman  of  the  Democratic  com- 
mittee, as  he  recalled  it,  was  identified  with  the  agitators, 
ran  a  newspaper  and  was  connected  either  directly  or  in- 
directly with  the  United  Mine  Workers ;  that  Mr.  Neelley, 
Democratic  candidate  for  sheriff,  was  identified  with  the 
strikers,  and  that  he  would  be  considered  as  an  objection- 

26 


390  KING  GOAL 

N 

able  character*  That  when  the  Federal  troops  came,  they 
restored  peace  and  normal  conditions;  there  was  no  riot- 
ing after  that,  there  was  -  no  fear  on  the  part  of  the  com- 
pany when  the  Federal  soldiers  were  here,  except  fear  of 
agitation.  Asked  if  he  guarded  the  camp  against  discus- 
sion, against  the  espousal  of  the  cause  of  the  company,  he 
replied,  '  We  didn't  encourage  it/  The  company  would 
not  encourage  organisers  to;  come  into  the  camp,  no  matter 
how  peacefully  they  conducted  themselves.;  that  the  com- 
pany did  not  permit  men  to  come  into  the  camp  to  discuss 
\vith  the  employes  certain  principles,  or  to  carry  on,  argu- 
ments with  them; or  to  appeal  to  their  reason,  or  to  discuss 
with  them  things  along  reasonable  lines,  because  it  was 
known  from  experience  that  if  they  were  allowed  to  come 
in  they  would  resort  to  threats  of  violence.  .  They  might 
not  resort  to  any  violence  at  the  time,  but  it  might  result 
in  the  people  becoming  frightened  and  leaving,  and  they 
were  anxious  to  hold  their,  employes.  He ,  was  asked 
whether  or  not  one  had  business  there  depended  upon  the 
decision  of  the  official  in  charge;  he  replied  that  the  super- 
intendent probably  would  inquire  of  him  what  his  busi- 
ness was.  That  any  one  that  Farr  asked  for  a  permit  to 
enter  the  camp  would  likely  get  it.  .  .  , 

"  There  was  but  one  attempt  to  hold  a  political  meeting 
in  the  closed  precincts.  Joseph  Patterson,  who  attempted 
to  hold  this  meeting,  testifies  concerning  it  as  follows : 

"Was  at  a  political  meeting  at  Oakview.  Had  been 
a  warm,  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Jones,  the  assistant  su- 
perintendent of  the  Qakview  mine,,  and  had  written  him 
a  letter  asking  the  courtesy  of  holding  a  political  meeting. 
On  Saturday  evening  received  a  letter  that  he  could  hold 
such  meeting.  On  the  day  previous  to  the  meeting  wit- 
ness received  a  ' phone"  message  from  the  assistant  super- 
intendent, in  which  the  latter  inquired  whether  witness 
was  coming  up  there  to  cause  any  trouble,  and  witness 
replied,  certainly  not,  and  if  the  superintendent  felt  that 


POSTSCRIPT  391 

way  they  would  not  come.  Had  advised  the  superintend- 
ent that  he  and  others  were  going  to  hold  a  political  meet- 
ing for  the  Democratic  party.  Jones,  the  superintendent, 
stated  that  witness  should  come  to  the  office  that  night 
before  he  went  to  the  school  house  for  the  purpose  of  the 
meeting;  when  witness  arrived  at  the  meeting  there  were 
about  six  or  eight  English  speaking  people  and  a  dozen 
to  fourteen  Mexicans.  The  superintendent,  Mr.  Morgan, 
and  Mr.  Price,  were  outside  of  the  door  most  of  the  time. 
Witness  noticed  that  the  first  few  fellows  that  came 'to- 
ward •  the  school  house,  the  superintendent  stopped  and 
talked  with  them  and  they  turned  back  to  the  carnp.  ;This 
happened  several  times :  as  soon  as  they  talked  with  Mor- 
gan they  turned  back.  After  lie  saw  that,  witness  went 
into  the  school  house  and  said  that  it1  was  no  use  to  hold 
any  meeting;  that  it  seemed  that  nobody  was  allowed  to 
come.  This  meeting  was  supposed  to  be  in  a  public 
school  house  on  the  company  property.  Had  to  get  per- 
mission from  the  superintendent  of  the  Oakview  mining 
Company  to  hold  said  political  meeting."  .  .  . 

"  It  appears  that  the  number  of  registered  voters  in  the 
closed  precincts  was  very  largely  in  excess  of  the  number 
of  votes  cast,  and  this  of  itself  was  sufficient  to  demand 
an  open  and  fair  investigation  as  to  the  qualifications  of 
the  alleged  voters. 

"  It  appears  from  the  testimony  that  in  these  closed 
precincts  many  of  those  who  voted  were  unable  to  speak 
or  read  ;the  English  language,  and  that  in  numerous  in- 
stances, the  election  judges  assisted  such,  by  marking  the 
ballots  for  them  in  violation  of  the  law.  Again,  it  ap- 
pears that  the  ballots  were  printed  so  that  .  .  .  (The 
decision  here  goes  on  to  explain  in  detail  a  device  whereby 
the  ballot  was  so  printed  that  voting  could  be  controlled 
with  the  help  of  a  card  device.)  Thus  such  voters  were 
riot  choosing  candidates,  but,  under  the  direction  of  the 
companies,  were  simply  placing  the  cross  where  they 


392  KING  COAL, 

found  the  particular  letter  R  on  the  ballot,  so  that  the 
ballot  was  not  an  expression  of  opinion  or  judgment,  not 
an  intelligent  exercise  of  suffrage,  but  plainly  a  dictated 
coal  company  vote,  as  much  so  as  if  the  agents  of  these 
companies  had  marked  the  ballots  without  the  interven- 
tion of  the  voter.  No  more  fraudulent  and  infamous 
prostitution  of  the  ballot  is  conceivable.  .  .  . 

"  Counsel  contend  that  the  closed  precincts  were  an 
/industrial  necessity/  and  for  such  reason  the  conduct  of 
the  coal  companies  during  the  campaign  was  justified. 
However  such  conduct  may  be  viewed  when  confined  to 
the  private  property  of  such  corporations  in  their  private 
operation,  the  fact  remains  that  there  is  no  justification 
when  they  were  dealing  with  such  territory  after  it  had 
been  dedicated  to  a  public  use,  and  particularly  involving 
the  right  of  the  people  to  exercise  their  duties  and  powers 
as  electors  in  a  popular  government. 

"The  fact  appears  that  the  members  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  and  all  other  county  officers  were 
Republicans,  and  as  stated  by,  counsel  for  the  contestees, 
the  success  of  the  Republican  candidates  was  considered  by 
the  coal  companies,  vital  to  their  interests.  The  close  re- 
lationship of  the  coal  companies  and  the  Republican  offi- 
cials and  candidates  appears  to  have  been  so  marked  both 
before  arid  during  the  campaign,  as  to  justify  the  conclu- 
sion that  such  officers  regarded  their  duty  to  the  coal  com- 
panies as  paramount  to  their  duty  to  the  public  service. 
To  say  that  the  closed  precincts  were  not  so  created  to 
suit  the  convenience  and  interests  of  these  corporations, 
or  that  they  were  not- so  formed  with  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  these  corporations,  is  to  discredit  human  intelli- 
gence, and  to  deny  human  experience.  The  plain  purpose 
of  the  formation  of  the  new  precincts  was  that  the  coal 
companies  might  have  opportunity  to  conduct  and  control 
the  elections  therein,  just  as  such  elections  were  con- 
ducted. The  irresistible  conclusion  is  that  these  closed 


POSTSCRIPT  393 

precincts  were  so  formed  by  the  county  commissioners 
with  the  connivance  of  the  representatives  of  the  coal  com- 
panies, if  not  by  their  express  command. 

"  There  can  be  no  free,  open  and  fair  election  as  con- 
templated by  the  constitution,  where  private  industrial 
corporations  so  throttle  public  opinion,  deny  the  free  ex- 
ercise of  choice  by  sovereign  electors,  dictate"  and  control 
all  election  officers,  prohibit  public  discussion  of  public 
questions,  and  imperially  command  what  citizens  may  and 
what  citizens  may  not,  peacefully  and  for  lawful  purposes, 
enter  upon  election  or  public  territory.  .  .  . 

"  We  find  no  such  example  of  fraud  within  the  books, 
and  must  seek  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  law  in  a  free 
government,  as  a  scale  in  which  to  weigh  such  con- 
duct. .  .  . 

"  The  denial  of  the  right  of  peaceful  assemblage,  can 
have  been  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  influence  the  elec- 
tion. There  was  no  disturbance  in  any  pf  these  precincts 
after  they  were  created,  up  to  the  time  of  the  election,  and 
up  to  the  time  of  this  trial.  The  Federal  troops  were 
present  at  all  times  to  preserve  the  peace  and  to  protect 
life  and  property.  There"  was  no  reason  to  anticipate  any 
disturbance.  Therefore  this  bold  denial  was  an  inexcusa- 
ble and  corrupt  violation  of  the  natural  and  inalienable 
rights  of  the  citizens. 

"  The  defence  relies  not  upon  conflicting  evidence,  but 
upon  the  contention  that  the  conduct  of  the  election  was 
justified  as  an  '  industrial  necessity.' 

"  We  have  heard  much  in  this  state  in  recent  years  as 
to  the  denial  of  inherent  and  constitutional  rights  of  citi- 
zens being  justified  by  *  military  necessity,'  but  this  we 
believe  is  the  first  time  in  our  experience  when  the  viola- 
tion of  the  fundamental  rights  ,of  freemen  has  been  at- 
tempted to  be  justified  by  the  plea  of  { industrial  neces- 
sity.' 

"  Even  if  we  were  to  concede  that  there  may  be  some 


394  KING  COAL 

palliation  in  the  plea  of  military  necessity  on  the  theory 
that  such  acts  purport  to  be  acts  of  the  government  itself, 
through  its  military  ami  and  with  the  purpose  of  preserv- 
ing the  public  peace  and  safety:  yet  that  a  private  cor- 
poration,, with  its  privately  armed  forces,  may  violate  the 
inost>  sacred  right  of  the  citizenship  of  the  state  and  find 
lawful  excuse  in  the  plea  of  private  i  industrial  necessity ' 
savours  too  much  of  anarchy  to  find  approval  by  courts  of 
justice. 

"  This  case  clearly  comes  within  another  exception  to 
the  rule,  in  that  it  is  plain  that  the  findings  were  influ- 
enced by  the  bias  arid  prejudice  of  the  trial  judge. 

"  A  careful  reading  of  the  record  discloses  the  rejection 
by  the  court  of  so  much  palpably  pertinent  and  competent 
testimony  offered  by  the  contestors,  as  to  force  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  trial  judge  was  influenced  by  bias  and  preju- 
dice, to  the  extent  at  least,  charged  in  the  application  for 
a'  change  of  venue,  and  sufficient  in  itself  to  justify  a 
reversal  of  judgment.  ... 

"  For  the  foregoing  reasons  the  judgment  of  the  court 
in  each  case  before  us,  is  reversed,  and  the  entire  poll  in 
the  said  precincts  of  Mggerhead,  Ravenwood,  Walsen 
Mine,  Oakview,  Fryor,  Rouse  and  Cameron  is  annulled, 
and  held  for  naught,  and  the  election  in  each  of  said  pre- 
cincts is  hereby  set  aside.  This  leaves  a  substantial  and 
unquestioned  majority  for  each  of  the  contestors  in  the 
county,  and  which  entitles  each  contestor  to  be  declared 
elected  to  the  office  for  which  he-was  a  candidate. 

"  We  find  further,  that  J.  B.  Farr,  the  defendant  in 
error,  was  not  and  is  not  the  duly  elected  sheriff  "of  Huer- 
fano  county,  and  that  E.  L.  ISTeelley,  the  plaintiff  in  error, 
was  and  is  the  duly  elected  sheriff  of  said  county.  It  is 
therefore  ordered  that  the  said  county,  and  that  the  said 
E.  L.  Neelley,  immediately  and  upon  qualification  as  re- 
quired by  law,  enter  and  discharge  the1  duties  of  the  said 
office  of  sheriff  of  Huerfano  county.  .  .  ." 


POSTSCRIPT  395 

.  So  much  for  the  court  opinion  upon  coal-camp  politics. 
In  relation  thereto,  the  writer  has  only  one  com- 
ment to  offer.  Let  the  reader  not  drop  the  matter  with 
the  idea  that  because  one  set  of  corrupt  officials  have  been 
turned  out  of  office  in'  one  American  county,  therefore 
justice;  has  been  vindicated,  and  there  is  no  longer  need 
to  be  concerned  about  the  conditions  portrayed  in  "  King 
Coal.77  The  defeat  of  the  "  King  of  Huerfano  County  " 
is  but  one  step  in  a  long  road  which  the  miners  of  Colo- 
rado have  to  travel  if  ever  they  are  to  be  free  men.  The 
industrial  power  of  the  great  corporations  remains  un- 
touched by  this  decision;  and  this  power  is  greater  than- 
any  political  power  ever  wielded  -by  the  government  of 
Huerfano  County,  or  even  of  the  state  of  Colorado.  This, 
industrial  power  is  a  deep,  far-spreading  root;  and  so 
long  as  it  is  allowed  to  thrive,  it  will  send  up  again  and 
again  the  poisonous  plant  of  political  "  malconduct,  fraud 
and  corruption."  The  citizens  and  workers  of  such  in- 
dustrial communities,  whether  in  Colorado,  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, Alabama,  Michigan  or  Minnesota,  in  the  Chicago 
stock-yards,  the  steel-mills  of  Pittsburg,  the  woollen-mills 
of  Lawrence  or  the  silk-mills  of  Paterson,  will  find  that 
they  have  neither  peace  nor  freedom,  until  they  have  abol- 
ished the  sj^stem  of  production  for  profit,  and  established 
in  the  field  of  industry  what  they  are  supposed  to  have 
already  in  the  field  of  politics  —  a  government  of  the  peo- 
ple, by  the  people,  for  the  people. 

NOTE:  On  the  day  that  the  author  finished  the  read- 
ing of  the  proofs  of  "  King  Coal/'  the  following  item 
appeared  in  his  daily  newspaper : 

COLORADO  MINE  WORKERS  ASK  LEAVE 

TO  STRIKE 
[BY  A.  P.  NIGHT  WIRE] 
DENVER    (Colo.),    June    14. — -Officers    of    the    United 


396  KING   COAL 

Mine  Workers  representing  members  of  that  organisation 
employed  by  the  Colorado  Fuel  and  Iron  Company,  have 
telegraphed  their  national  officers  asking  permission  to 
strike. 

At  the  morning  session  a  resolution  was  adopted  ex- 
pressing disapprobation  of  the  action  of  J.  IT.  Welborn, 
president  of  the  fuel  company,  for  failure  to  attend  the 
meeting,  which  was  a  part  of  the  "  peace  programme  " 
to  prevent  industrial  differences  in  the  State  during  the 
war. 

The  grievances  of  the  men,  according  to  John  Mc- 
Lennan, spokesman  for  them,  centre  aboutvthe  operation 
of  the  so-called  "  Rockefeller  plan"  at  the  mines.  Mc- 
Lennan said  the  failure  of  Mr.  Welborn  to  attend  the 
meeting  and  discuss  these  grievances  with  the  men  pre- 
cipitated the  strike  agitation. 


THE   END 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


A  Proposition  to  Reprint 

the  Early  Books  of  Upton  Sinclair 

All  the  books  written  by  me  from  1901  to  1.911  are  now  out 
of  print  and  unobtainable.  These  include  "The  Jungle,"  which, 
was  translated  into  seventeen  languages  and  is  the  best 
known  American  novel  outside  the  United  States ; /'Manassas," 
which  Jack  London  called  ''the  best  Civil  War  book  I've  read;" 
"The  Industrial  Republic."  which  the  Countess  of  Warwick 
called  the  best  book  on  Socialism  ever  written;  "Samuel  the 
Seeker,"  which  Frederik  van  Eeden,  the  Dutch  writer,  con- 
sidered my  best  novel;  "The  Metropolis,"  and  "The  Money- 
changers," which  caused  a  sensation  in  their  day;  "The  Jour- 
nal of  Arthur  Stirling1,"  "Love's  Pilgrimage,"  "Plays  of 
Protest,"  "The  Fasting  Cure,"  etc. 

To  reprint  these  books  and  keep  them  in  stock  means  a 
working  capital  of  about  $2,000  per  book.  I  can  raise  this 
capital,  provided  I  have  an  assured  mai-ket  for  the  books. 
Therefore,  I  propose  to  organize  what  for  convenience  I  call 

the  Sinclair  Subscribers 

I  propose  to  publish  three  or  four  books  per  year.  One, 
and  possibly  two,  will  be  new  books;  the  rest  will  be  reprints. 
Each  subscriber  agrees  to  take  a  copy  of  each  book  as  pub- 
lished, at  the  price  of  $1.20  clqth  or  sixty  cents  paper.  Each 
book  will  be  sent  with  bill,  and  the  subscriber  will  remit 
promptly,  and  notify  of  any  change  of  address.  You  may, 
of  course,  subscribe  to  three,  or  ten,  or  twenty-five  copies 
of  each  book,  at  the  quantity  rates  quoted  for  "The  Brass 
Check"  and  "100%."  You  may  withdraw  from  the  arrange- 
ment at  any  time  by  giving  notice.  The  books  published  in 
1921  will  be  (1)  "The  Jungle;"  (2)  "The  Coal  War,"  a  new- 
novel,  sequel  to  King  Coal;"  =.  (3)  "The  Moneychangers," 
a  story  dealing  with  Wall  Street  and  the  panic  of  1907:  and, 
probably  "The  Footbinders,"  a  book  on  education,  companion 
volume  to  "The  Profits  of  Religion"  and  "The  Brass  Check." 

If  you  care  to  come  In  on  the  above  plan,  please  write 
me  a  postcard  as  follows: 

"Enter  me  as  a  subscriber,  sending  one  copy  of  each  book, 
cloth,"  or  "three  copies  of  each  book,  paper,"  or  whatever 
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full  address,  write  plainly,  and  mail  to  Upton  Sinclair,  Pas- 
adena, California. 


A  New  Novel  by  Upton  Sinclair 

100% 

THE  STORY  OF  A  PATRIOT 

T1J7QULD  you  like  to  go  behind  the  scenes  arid  see  the 
V  *  "invisible  government"  of  your  country  saving  you  from 
the  Bolsheviks  and  the  Reds'?  Would  you  like  to  meet  the 
secret  agents  and  provocateurs  of  "Big  Business,"  to  know 
what ,  they  look  like,  how  they  talk  and  what  they  are  doing 
to  make  the  world  safe  for  democracy?  Several  of  these 
gentlemen  have  been  haunting  the  home  of  Upton  Sinclair 
during  the  past,  three  years  and  he  has  had  the  idea  of  turn- 
ing the  tables  and  investigating  the  investigators.  He  has  put 
one  of  them,  Peter  Gudge  by  name,  into  a  book,  together  with 
Peter's  ladyloves,  and  his  wife,  and  his  boss  and  a  whole 
group  of  his  fellow-agents  and  their  employers. 

The  Hero  of  this  book  is  a  red-blooded,  100%  American, 
a  "he-man"  and  no  mollycoddle.  He  begins  with  the  Mooney 
case,  and  goes  through  half  a  dozen  big  cases  of  which  you 
have  heard.  His  story  is  a  fact-story  of  America  from  1916 
to  1920,  and  will  make  a  bigger  sensation  than  "The  Jungle." 
Albert  PJiys  Williams,  author  of  "Lenin"  and  "In  the  Claws 
of  the  German  Eagle,"  read  the  MS.  and  wrote: 

"This  is  the  first  novel  of  yours  that  I  have  read  through 
with  real  interest.  It  is  your  most  timely  work,  and  is  bound  to 
make  a  sensation.  I  venture  that  you  will  have  even  more  trouble 
than  you  had  with  'The  Brass  Cheek'-^-in  getting  the  books 
printed  fast  enough." 

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UPTON  SINCLAIR       -       Pasadena,  California 


A    book   "which   has   been   absolutely   boycotted   by    the   literary 
reviews  of  America. 

THE  PROFITS 
OF  RELIGION 

BY  UPTON  SINCLAIR 

A  STUDY  of  Supernaturalism  as  a  Source  of  Income  and  a 
Shield  to  Privilege;  the  first  examination  in  any  language 
of    institutionalized    religion    from   the    economic   point  of 
view.     "Has  the  labour  as  well  as  the  merit  of  breaking  virgin 
soil,"  writes  Joseph  McCabe.     The  book  has  had  practically  no 
advertising  and  only  two  or  three  reviews  in  radical  publications ; 
yet  forty  thousand  copies  have  been  sold  in  the  first  year. 

From  the  Rev.  John  Haynes  Holmes:  "I  must  confess  that  it  has  fairly 
made  me  writhe  to  read  these  pages,  not  because  they  are  untrue  or  un- 
fair, but  on  the  contrary,  because  I  know  them  to  be  the  real  facts.  I 
love  the  church  as  I  love  my  home,  and  therefore  it  is  no  pleasant  expe- 
rience to  be  made  to  face  such  a  story  as  this  which  you  have  told.  It 
had  to  be  done,  however,  and  I  am  glad  you  have  done  it,  for  rny  interest 
in  the  church,  after  all,  is  more  or  less  incidental,  whereas  my  interest  in 
religion  is  a  fundamental  thing.  .  .  .  Let  me  repeat  again  that  I  feel 
that  you  have  done  us  all  a  service  in  the  writing  of  this  book.  Our 
churches  today,  like  those  of  ancient  Palestine,  are  the  abode  of  Pharisees 
and  scribes.  It  is  as  spiritual  and  helpful  a  thing  now  as  it  was  in 
Jesus'  day  for  that  fact  to  be  revealed." 

From  Luther  Burbank:  "No  one  has  ever  told  'the  truth,  the  whole> 
truthj  and  nothing  but  the  truth'  more  faithfully  than  Upton  Sinclair  in 
'The  Profits  of  Religion.'  " 

From  Louis  Untermeyer:  "Let  me  add  my  quavering  alto  to  the  .chorus 
of  applause  of  'The  Profits  of  Religion.'  It  is  something  more  than  a 
book — it  is  a  Work!" 

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100  copies  at  76c;  500  copies  at  72c;  1,000  copies  at  70c. 

UPTON  SINCLAIR          -          Pasadena,  California 


Who  OWES  The  Press,  and  Why? 

When  you  read  your  daily  paper,  are  you  reading  facts  or 
propaganda?  And  whose  propaganda? 

Who  furnishes  the  raw  material  for  your  thoughts  about 
life?  Is  it  honest  material? 

No  man  can  ask  more  important  questions  than  these;  and 
here  f<jr;  the  first  time  the  questions  are  answered  in  a  book. 

THE  BRASS  CHECK 

A  Study  of  American  Journalism 
By  UPTON  SINCLAIR 

Read  the  record  of  this  book  to  August,  1920:  Published  in 
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it  could  be  put  to  press.  Third  edition,  15,000,  and  fourth 
edition,  12,000,  sold.  Fifth  edition,  15,000,  in  press.  Paper 
for  sixth  edition,  110,000,  just  shipped  from  the  mill.  The 
thiM  and  fourth  editions  are  printed  on  "number  one  news;" 
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The  first  cloth  edition,  1G.500  copies,  all  sold;  a  carload 
of  paper  for  the  second  edition,  40,000  copies,  has  just  reached 
our  printer — and  so  we  dare  to  advertise! 

Ninety  thousand  copies  of  a  book  sold  in  six  months — 
and  published  by  the  author,  with  no  advertising,  and  only 
a  few  scattered  reviews!  What  this  means  is  that  the  Amer- 
ican people  want  to  know  the  truth  about  their  newspapers. 
They  have  found  the  truth  an  "The  Brass  Check"  and  they 
are  calling  for  it  by  telegraph.  Put  these  books  on  your 
counter,  and  you  will  see,  as  one  doctor  wrote  us — "they 
melt  away  like  the  snow." 

From  the  pastor  of  the  Community  Church,  New  York: 
"I  am  writing  to  thank  you  for  sending  me  a  copy 
of  your  new  book,  "The  Brass  Check."  Although  it 
arrived  only  a  few  days  ago,  I  have  already  read  it 
through,  every  word,  and  have  loaned  it  to  one  of  my 
Colleagues  for  reading.  The  boofc  is  tremendous.  I  havo 
never  read  a  more  strongly  consistent  argument  or  one 
so  formidably  buttressed  by  facts.  You  have  proved 
your  case  to  the  handle.  I  again  take  satisfaction  in 
saluting  you  not  only  as  a  great  novelist,  but  as  the 
•  ablest  pamphleteer  in  America  today.  'I  am  already 
passing  around  the  word  in  my  church  arid  taking- 
orders  for  the  book."— John  Haynes  Holmes. 

448  £*&**'     Slagfle   copy,   paper,   60c  postpaid;  three   copies, 

$1.50;    ten    copies,    $4.50.      Single    copy,    cloth,    $1.20 

postpaid;  three  copies,  $3.CO;  ten  copies,  $9.OO 

j  Address:     UPTON  SINCLAIR,  Pasadena,  Cal. 


Who  Owns  The  Press,  and  Why? 

When  you  read  your  daily  paper,  are  you  reading  facts  or 
propaganda?  And  whose  propaganda? 

Who  furnishes  the  raw  material  lor  your  thoughts  about 
life?  Is  it  honest  material? 

No  man  can  ask  more  important  questions  than  these;  and 
here  for  the  first  time  the  questions  are  answered  in  a  book. 

THE  BRASS  CHECK 

4,  Study  of  American  Journalises 
Sy  UPTON  SINCLAIR 

Read  the  record  of  this  book  to  August,  1920:  Published  in 
February.  1920;  first  edition,  23,000  paper-bound  copies,  sold 
in  two  weeks.  Second  edition,  21,000  paper-bound,  sold  before 
it  could  be  put  to  press.  Third  edition,  15,000,  and  fourth 
edition,  12,000,  sold.  Fifth  edition,  15,000.  in  press.  Pap-;r 
for  sixth  edition,  110,000,  just  shipped  from  the  mill.  The 
third  and  fourth  editions  are  printed  on  "number  one  news;1' 
the  sixth  will  be  printed  on  a  carload  of  lightweight  fcrov  n, 
wrapping  paper— all  we  could  get.  in  a  hurry.. 

The  first  cloth  edition,  16,500  copies,  all  sold;  a,  carlo  id 
of  caper  for  the  second  edition,  40,000  copies,  has  Just  reached 
our  printer— and  6O  we  dare  to  advertise! 

Ninety  thousand  copies  of   a  book   sold  *ln  six   months — 
ind  published  bv   the  author,  with  no  advertising,   and  only 
ii  few  scattered  reviews!     What  this  means  is  that  the  Amer- 
ican people  want  to  know  the  truth  about  ttoir  newspapers 
Thev  have  found  the  truth  in   "The  Brass  Check"   mid   the/ 
-ili'ii*  for   it  bv   telegraph.     Put  these  books  on  your 
"and   you  will    see,   as  one   doctor  W£ojte.  us— "the./ 
melt  away  like  the  snow," 

From  the  pastor  of  the  Community  Church  $Tew  York; 
«'I  am  writing  to  thank  you  for  sending  me  &  copy 
of  your  new  book,  "The  Brass  Check.'?  Although  it 
arrived  only  a  few  days  ago,  I  have;  already  read  1 
through,  every  word,  and  have  loaned  it.  to  one  of  my 
colleagues  for  reading.  The  book  is  tremendous.  I  have 
never  read  a  more  strongly  consistent  argument  or  one 
so  formidably  buttressed  by  facts.  You  have  proved 
you.-  case  to  the  handle,  I  again  take  satisfaction  In 
saluting  you  not  only  as  a  great  novelist,  but  as  th* 
ablest  pamphleteer  in  America  today.  I  am  already 
passing-  around  the  word  in  my  church  ana  taking? 
orders  for  the  book." — John  Haynes  Holmes. 

60o  poftpsdd;  ttorca  copi*e. 


91.50?  test   copies,' 04.SOT    BlngOe   copy 
po0tpai&;  tbfee  copies,,  $3.00 ;  tea  copies 

Address:    UPTON  SINCLAIR,  Pasadena, 


